The wonders of LinkedIn.

Filed in From the Staff by on March 25, 2011

Sometime last week I said that I had been using other resources in my job search like LinkedIn and Monster.com.

I’m finding that LinkedIn is a really helpful site to use. Each person creates a profile that includes:

  • Your picture
  • Where you work
  • Your past jobs
  • Where you went to school
  • What clubs and activities you are involved in
  • A summary about you. (Mine says “I am a senior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute working towards a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Biomechanics. I am graduating in May 2011 and am looking for a full time position.”)
  • Your specialties
  • Places to expand upon your past experiences (work and educational).
  • Connect with friends, family and co-workers.

In addition to what I listed off,  you can upload your actual resume, add recommendations, and even have a status.

But a little more abut connecting with people. LinkedIn allows you to connect with everyone – friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, etc. It is an incredible networking opportunity.  I’ve been able to connect with adults that I don’t often itneract with or have contact information for – like certain neighbors or previous coworkers – as well as students who are either at WPI or who graduated recently. Creating a profile is really helpful because not only does it provide  you with new networking opportunities but it helps you realize connections you might not have known you had. For example, it helps you connect with recent alumni who you may have known from group projects or organizations you were involved with on campus. I didn’t remember where a lot of my acquaintances ended up working, but it turns out that a number of them could be a helpful contact for me. 🙂

Im really happy I joined LinkedIn – and I actually wished I had signed up even earlier. I feel like people who are apart of this network have a step up on their job search. It’s that one additional resource that sets you apart from everyone else, and its a resource that is incredible for networking and will be helpful not only now, but later on in life as well.

If you want to learn about LinkedIn, you should go to the CDC’s workshop “Networking with LinkedIn”. It’s Thursday 3/31 at 5pm in SL402. Its seems like it is going to be really helpful not only for new users, but also for those who already have a profile and want to learn even more. I’m definitely going to try to attend…it all depends on how MQP goes this week.

About the Author ()

Hi everyone! My name is Kelly and I'm from Andover, MA. I'm a senior in Mechanical Engineering, and it's my second year as a Peer Advisor for WPI's Career Development Center. I'm also in one of the sororities on campus, Phi Sigma Sigma, and a part of EPICS (Engineering Projects In Community Service). I'm going to be keeping you updated on my senior year and what I'm doing to figure out my life after college (jobs, grad school, etc). Enjoy!

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