How to use LinkedIn to build your network?

LinkedIn is a powerful social media tool that can be used for professional purposes. A lot of us do not realize the true potential of LinkedIn. The most important part of LinkedIn is that it helps you CONNECT. Whether you want to find a new job, search for clients, or grow your business, LinkedIn can be used for your benefits. In this article, we are going to see how you can use LinkedIn to connect with the alumina from your university.

 

Why do we have to connect with our alumina?

• To find a job – Many students are fixed on the mind-set that you go to a university, graduate, and then exit to find jobs. But what they don’t realize is that you can find an opportunity even before you finish your graduation. This is done by connecting with your alumina. Sometimes, job openings are shared verbally, and having a wide network can help you zero down on such offers. You can also find jobs by directly connecting with recruiters. But in many cases, you will need an insider recommendation and LinkedIn is a great platform where you can connect with the employees and get recommendations.

 

• Understand your university – With LinkedIn, you can understand where the alumina is working now, what sectors they are in, and what they are skilled at. You can use this data to evaluate the university before you join it.

 

• Inspire others – Using LinkedIn, you can trace a professional’s growth over the years, the skills they gained over years, and how they established their career. You can also discover new skills and revamp your resume.

 

How to connect with the alumina?

Step 1 – Open your LinkedIn profile and click on the search toolbar.

Step 2 – Type the name of the university you want to look up. For e.g. I typed “Technical University of Munich”. There will be a lot of matches popping up. Choose the one that is categorized as “School”, “Institute” or “University”.

 

 

Step 3 – The link should take you to the official page of the university. Find the option in the menu that says “alumni”

 

 

Step 4 – This takes you to the page where all the active LinkedIn users from the university are categorized and displayed in numbers. You can find where the graduates are working now, which area they are employed in etc. You can click ‘Next’ for more such info.

 

 

These are some simple set of steps on how to find and connect with your alumina. Alma maters often offer a lot of financial and banking services too. So staying in touch with them can help you reap a lot of benefits. It isn’t a one-time beneficial thing but rather it pays you in dividends. The benefits of an institute or university don’t end the moment you walk out of it. Stay connected with the community and you will be able to grow well.