Have you been feeling the urge to buy a new pen, open the first page of a crisp new notebook, and pen down some of your thoughts? No matter when you graduated, twenty years ago or last year, the fall season always feels like the beginning of a new chapter or a new school year.
For job seekers, this feeling can inspire you to put in your best efforts into your job hunt. To be precise, the fall season is perfect to reconnect with college members or university alumni.
The indispensable step is to be a part of your university’s alumni group on professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn. Virtually every institute in the world has a community or group on LinkedIn. You’ll find that some colleges may have multiple communities or groups, so join as many as you feel.
Once you’re a member, go through the members, their discussions, and jobs for networking. For example, join a discussion of fellow alums talking about the specific industry you are interested in, introduce yourself to the group manager, or comment on an article someone has posted.
You may initiate your own discussion, perhaps by posting an article or directing a question to the group members. You can also directly introduce yourself and your goals in a way like: “Hi fellows! I’m new to this group and excited to connect with fellow graduates of my alma mater. I’m currently looking for a job and eager to connect with any experienced folks and other job seekers. Would appreciate help in any form. Thanks!”
Also, remember that LinkedIn allows you to send a connection request or message to anyone with whom you share a community or group. This will help you build one-to-one, direct relationships with individual members.
Good luck!
