Do you have a LinkedIn account?

The CDC recently hosted a seminar about LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a social network used to make professional connections. You can connect with classmates, colleagues, professors, etc. If you are trying to contact a person and you have a mutual connection, you can ask your connection to introduce you. An introduction via your first level contacts makes meeting new people much easier. A LinkedIn profile gives you a summary of one’s professional experiences and interests. LinkedIn also acts an electronic address book. Business cards go out of date when someone changes jobs, but you can always message contacts through the site.

Make sure your LinkedIn profile is complete and up to date. When you update your resume, make it a habit to update your LinkedIn account as well. This should make you use LinkedIn somewhat regularly. The more familiar you are with the site, the better you can utilize it as a tool for professional promotion. Also, when making a new connection on LinkedIn, change the default message to make it more personal.

The workshop gave some great tips on how to utilize LinkedIn for communicating off the site itself. Use viewable LinkedIn profiles to gain information on a company or area of study you are interested in. If you are looking for a person’s phone number, call the company that the person works for and ask for them.

Are you on LinkedIn? There are multiple groups on LinkedIn that are related to WPI. There is a WPI Alumni group and a WPI CDC group. To join the CDC at WPI LinkedIn group you must review the LinkedIn presentation in your Job Finder “Resources” tab then take and pass this quiz: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CDNSJS5

Once you have been recorded as passing the quiz, you can be approved into the group!

If you would like more information from the CDC about LinkedIn, please stop in the office and ask!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!