Social Media Branding & Your Job Search

Bridget Brennan Digital Risk

Talent Management Group bbrennan@digitalrisk.com

Anne Meehan Rollins College

Office of Career Services asmeehan@rollins.edu

Introducing Anne

Meehan

Introducing Bridget Brennan

Handouts referenced in the presentation are

included at the end of this PowerPoint.

Section 1: Social Media Recruiting & Importance of

Personal Branding

• 94% of recruiters use or plan to use social media in their recruitment efforts in 2013

• 78% of recruiters have made a hire through social media

Did You Know…

Jobvite 2013 Social Recruiting Survey Results

• LinkedIn is the most popular source for recruiting efforts

Mostly for showcasing employer brand, generating employee

referrals and vetting candidates

Mostly for sourcing,

keeping tabs and checking qualifications

Did You Know…

Jobvite 2013 Social Recruiting Survey Results

• Recruiters are placing increasing importance on candidates’ social profiles. o 93% of recruiters are likely to look at candidates’ social profiles o How recruiters react to items on candidates’ social profiles:

Don’t Forget: Recruiters

take negative comments re: employment

very seriously.

Direction of Recruiting

Jobvite 2013 Social Recruiting Survey Results

• Increasingly, the most highly rated candidates come from employees’ networks

Direction of Recruiting

Jobvite 2013 Social Recruiting Survey Results

• Increasingly, less hires come from job boards

Direction of Recruiting

Note: These statistics do not include college job boards, which are still considered highly effective.

Jobvite 2013 Social Recruiting Survey Results

• While admissions officers for most graduate programs utilize social media mostly for vetting purposes, you can still use social media to your advantage in order to stand out:

o Follow grad programs social media pages to get updates on events/deadlines, learn more about their culture and even get tips

o Comment on university social media pages to be seen by admissions officers and other influential parties

o Connect with students and ask them about the culture at their program and even tips for the application process

o Follow colleges and universities via the Education page (under the Interests tab) on LinkedIn

What if I am interested in Grad School?

• Increasing reliance on employer branding, social media and employee referrals o Increasing social media engagement among Recruiters

• In the process of incorporating mobile recruiting • Strong decrease in dependence on online job boards and

staffing agencies

Direction of Digital Risk Recruiting

• Candidate applies on DR Careers Web site • Recruiter reviews resume to qualify for open positions • If candidate qualified for an open position, Recruiter calls

candidate to schedule a phone screen and DR assessments • If candidate meets/exceeds assessment score benchmarks,

Recruiter schedules interview with the hiring manager • If hiring manager wants to move candidate forward, Recruiter

performs background and reference check o Reference check includes social media inquiries

• Upon acceptable results, Recruiter extends offer

Digital Risk Recruiting Process

• Build a consistent, professional and memorable personal social media brand via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media avenues.

• Proactively manage your online reputation and monitor it regularly – Google yourself and sign up for Google Alerts.

• Learn how to use social media sites to network and build your personal brand.

Strong Resume + Professional Social Media Brand = Career Success!

How do you capitalize on this trend?

• Define it o What is your desired sound bite? Are you a… data analysis guru? Marketing aficionado?

Financial market enthusiast? Environmental advocate? Human Resources consultant? o Create a professional, consistent “portrait” that captures the key words, skills, abilities, unique

talents, expertise and titles that you want potential employers to know about you.

• Earn it o Never stop developing your skills and stay up-to-date on the industry.

• Promote it o Be visible, be consistent, be helpful, be memorable. Share your story!

Having a pretty profile isn’t enough. You need to give them a reason to look.

Building Your Personal Brand

Branding Tip: Top Attributes Employers

Most Often Seek in Candidates • Strong Work Ethic • Communication Skills (interpersonal/written) • Leadership • Teamwork • Flexibility/Adaptability • Motivation/Competitiveness • Analytical/Problem Solvers • Goal Oriented

1. Own your online name o Consider purchasing a Web site titled in your name: www.godaddy.com o Conduct an SEO analysis of your social media presence at www.brandyourself.com

2. Create and leverage a LinkedIn account o Create a complete, well-written and compelling profile o Set up other accounts in places like LinkedIn (i.e. Naymz.com, ZoomInfo.com, Plaxo.com,

BrandYourself.com, Workface.com) copying your LinkedIn profile

3. Create a Twitter account o Share industry-related information, and follow and engage with those in your industry

4. Manage your Facebook account and privacy settings o Personal posts are fine as long as you don’t mind your future boss seeing them.

5. Think before you post or send o Treat all posts like they’ll live forever (aka a newspaper) and make sure they won’t be

taken out of context

6. Don’t leave your brand to chance o Search your name on Google, set up a Google Alert for yourself and a Twitter alert for

yourself on www.google.com/alerts and www.topsy.com, respectively

Building Your Personal Brand

Section 2: LinkedIn

• Plethora of company and contact information at your disposal – 250+ million people on LinkedIn

• Tons of job opportunities posted on the main site and within various groups as well as a student jobs website

• May be introduced to contacts of interest through the people you already know (15,100+ Rollins LinkedIn members)

• You can grow your network by joining the Rollins College Alumni group as a student/alumni (4,100+ members)

• Opportunity for you to showcase your accomplishments and push out content to stay on the radar of recruiters

LinkedIn for You

Make sure to update your Blog, Web site, portfolio, etc. so you can push out your content continuously.

Why We Use LinkedIn: • Plethora of possible candidates and networks for referrals • LinkedIn Recruiter’s License for advanced candidate search

• Also enables mass messaging to potential candidates • Resume check and reference check tool How you can capitalize from the LinkedIn Recruiter • Use industry keywords in your profile • Modify internal-use-only job titles • Include certifications, awards, classes…

LinkedIn for Digital Risk

• Include a professional picture of you and only you (no dogs, children, spouses, friends, etc.)

• Create an appealing headline with your area of study and/or career ambitions

• Fill out the summary with bullet points that highlight your experience and education, along with the type of positions you are seeking (use keywords)

• Provide details regarding your work/internship experiences, volunteer work, education, extra-curriculars, etc.

• Seek recommendations from professors, advisors, and managers (2-3 ideal)

• Consider displaying samples of your work by uploading a presentation, research paper, or videos to display what you can do via the document uploader

• Add links under your contact info to your website or portfolio

Creating Your LinkedIn Profile

Good Blade is also a

member of industry groups and following

relevant companies.

Good

Megan is also a member of

industry groups and following

relevant companies.

Megan is a recent college grad in the

HR industry.

Good

Amy is also a member of

industry groups and following

relevant companies.

Amy is an experienced, manager-level professional in

the HR industry.

Bad

No Picture

Poor Summary

No Job Description

Company Not

Linked

College Not

Linked

Only 1 Endorsement

Degree Not Listed

• Build it before you need it • When you meet someone, connect with them immediately

after on LinkedIn, Facebook, or email • Who to connect with?

o Classmates – soon to be your colleagues and peers in industry o Professors o Rollins College Alumni o Current and former employers o Friends and family members o Parents’ friends and colleagues o Contacts from boy/girl scouts, church, your volunteer gig, etc.

• Keep in mind that others might come to you for something now or in the future

• Think quality over quantity Tip: Engage and interact with those in your network and request recommendations/endorsements. We like

to see 2- 3 recommendations from various experiences.

Establishing Your Network

Find Alumni Contacts

Find Alumni Contacts

Personalize Your Connection Messages

• Use LinkedIn to research companies and industries o Company search

• Explore opportunities with organizations that recruit on campus o People search and Company search

• Find job listings o Jobs section o Within groups o Visit http://www.linkedin.com/studentjobs

• Videos & Handouts: o http://university.linkedin.com/university/global/en_us/index/linkedin-for-students.html

• Job Seeker Webinars: http://learn.linkedin.com/jobseeker/

Using LinkedIn in Your Job Search

Connection Request Tip: Recruiters are usually happy to connect with you. Hiring managers and HR reps may not be. Judge the situation by the individual’s LinkedIn presence and

how well you developed a relationship with him/her.

Join Rollins College Alumni Group

Complete your LinkedIn profile to 100% Upload your current contacts and send connection requests Join the Rollins Alumni Group (For Students & Alumni)

Connect with alumni in your field of interest or with whom you have something in common

Contribute by commenting on discussions/contributing articles within groups and by sharing relevant status updates

Start researching companies and searching for job opportunities

LinkedIn Do List

• Provide incomplete information or refer candidates to another site for information

• Include information that is irrelevant or overly personal • Have spelling and/or grammatical errors • Display an inappropriate picture • Underestimate the importance of connections • Forget to join groups related to your field of interest

LinkedIn Don’t List

Growing Your Network • When sending connection requests, customize your message

Highlighting Your Accomplishments • Only ask for recommendations/endorsements from those

who can speak to your accomplishments. Also, give them some content to touch on

• Endorse others so they will be more likely to endorse you Promoting Your Brand • Join Groups, Follow Companies, comment on and like your

connections posts and they will do the same for you • Share helpful, relevant information on a regular basis; Do not

repeatedly post that you are looking for a job

LinkedIn Etiquette

Questions?

Section 3: Facebook

• Do look at your profile from a hiring manager’s perspective…would you hire you?

• Don’t assume privacy settings will keep prospective employers out, especially if you are connected with the company’s employees

• Do clean up your status updates – no drama, drugs, or drinking! • Don’t post anything negative or nasty on a person or company page • Do remove any pictures, posts or tags that could bite you later • Do check out www.reppler.com or www.persona-co.com to:

• Have your profile evaluated for you

• Don’t forget your future employer may require security clearances • Do view your profile as “public” and “friend” to see how your

profile appears to various Facebook users • Do use Facebook Graph Search to:

• Find those in your network who work for your employer of interest • Find out if you have any similar interests as the company

Facebook Job Search Do’s & Don’ts

• Allow personal branding messages to be shared with everyone o Text, links, images, documents or videos that reinforce your professional

image and allow you to stand out • Use your LinkedIn image as your Facebook image • Ensure your cover photo is not incriminating – it is public and

cannot be made private • Fill out About You, Education, and Work sections completely – keep

information consistent among social networking platforms o About You section: speak to your accomplishments and future plans o Education/Work sections: Include similar information from your LinkedIn

profile. Make sure titles, keywords and descriptions are included o Contact section: Include how to contact you (email and phone number) links

to your other professional social media accounts o Complete the NEW Facebook field: Professional Skills

• Leave off religious and political views; include favorite quotes and who inspires you

• Share professional advice and/or industry-related content • Share updates, pictures or tag yourself in professional/educational

activities or events you are involved in

Branding Yourself on Facebook

“Like” Rollins Career Services on Facebook

• Post status updates related to your job search – consider the 6 degrees of separation o Exception – if you are employed and have co-workers as Facebook friends (use private

messages instead or block them from seeing your posts) o Careful not to sound desperate or angry

• “Like” companies you are interested in working for and comment on their page often

• Add apps such as BranchOut and BeKnown that facilitate professional networking within Facebook

• Add apps such as Simply Hired and Brazen Careerist, which post jobs and provide career advice Tip: Like the Page of companies you are interested

in and engage with them, liking or sharing their posts. You may even find out you know someone at

the company via the page = employee referral!

Job Searching on Facebook

Growing Your Network • Only send friend requests to those who know you well or

share something in common • Join Groups, Like Pages, Follow People/Organizations that

interest you and showcase your positive qualities Promoting Your Brand • Share helpful, relevant information regularly but not too

frequently. Also, make sure to comment on others’ content • Do not share negative or controversial opinions

Facebook Etiquette

Section 4: Twitter

• Use a professional username – think of something that helps you to stand out

• Keep your branding consistent – use the same profile pic as you do on LinkedIn and Facebook

• Keep posts professional – it is an open forum and you never know who is watching

• Use a professional looking background – no butterflies or skulls

• Learn the Twitter culture – the terms, what a hashtag is, and how to reply and retweet (Google “Twitter tutorial” – there are many)

Creating Your Twitter Account

• Companies/Company Job Pages • Recruiters • Job Boards • Human Resources Managers • Job Search Consultants/Experts • Industry Experts • People who share similar career interests/goals • Professors • Rollins College • Alumni • People who inspire you

Who to Follow

• Relevant blog posts and articles • Re-tweet good tweets • Quotes • Questions • Recommendations of you or for others • Direct communications • Opinions/ideas • Nothing too personal (no info about children, religion,

personal drama, etc.)

Tip: If you applied at a particular company, tweet on their Twitter page that you just applied and look

forward to hearing from them. That will get your resume moved up the stack!

What to Tweet

Good

Bio describes my industry, skills & value

Included link to my LinkedIn

Professional picture and background

Industry-related tweets

Always include

links, pics, hashtags and/or

mentions

Bad

Unprofessional picture and background

Unprofessional handle

Unprofessional bio and no link to Blog, Web

site or LinkedIn

Opinions are ok, but really

negative ones without support

are not

Very few followers

Mentions to beg for a job is a no Some personal

info is ok, but keep it

professional Mentioning celebs is ok but be careful who

you align yourself with

Don’t tweet too much

• Use and click on hashtags (e.g., #marketingjobs, #jobsearch, etc.) to find a company’s job posts and other people tweeting about job search related topics

• Identify positions by visiting company job search pages (e.g., DigitalRiskJobs, Siemensjobs, Disneyjobs, etc.)

• Create an online resume or use a site like VisualCV and include a link to your resume in your Twitter bio

• Use TweetMyJOBS

Job Searching on Twitter

Tip: Recruiters check Twitter to see what you are really interested in (i. e. who you are following). Make sure you are following industry- relevant

companies, news outlets, influencers, etc. and not anyone with a notoriously unsavory reputation.

Growing Your Network • You do not need to follow those who follow you • Follow companies, causes, industry-related pages and

influencers to increase your visibility, but don’t overload them with tweets or mentions

Promoting Your Brand • You don’t have to answer every reply or mention, but it is

good practice as social media is reciprocal • Every tweet should add value to your followers • Don’t overuse hashtags; stick to three or fewer

Twitter Etiquette

• Instagram: In your profile add a link to your LinkedIn, add photos of you on the job/at a job-related event/showing your skills, connect with companies of interest

• Pinterest: Pin your resume, create a resume pinboard, follow companies of interest and engage, follow career experts

• YouTube: Add a video of your resume/on the job/at a job-related event/showing your skills, follow companies of interest

• Brave New Talent: Create a profile (preferably from your LinkedIn), join the “communities” of companies of interest, follow topics that companies of interest follow and comment regularly.

Other Social Media for Your Job Search

Prioritize your job search by first pursuing avenues where employers actively recruit; then pursue avenues where employers passively recruit or actively recruit less frequently •Active Recruiting Avenues

o Rollins Career Site/Job Board (R-CareerLink & Jobs for Tars)

o LinkedIn

o Traditional Job Boards – Indeed; CareerBuilder; Monster; Simply Hired o Career Fairs

•Passive Recruiting Avenues o Twitter o Facebook o Pintrest, Instagram, YouTube, BraveNewTalent, Good.co, Vine, and other social

networking sites

Prioritization

• Use some or all of these methods to search for your next job or internship – if you only pick one, go with LinkedIn!

• Always keep your professional brand in mind when posting anything online – think digital tattoo

• Discover the lost art of face-to-face networking – deepens the relationship and makes people more inclined to help you

• Social networking is only one way to find a job – don’t discount the traditional methods: career fairs, job boards, etc.

• Utilize Rollins Office of Career Services to help you develop your professional brand and a strategic job search plan

Tip: Connect with Recruiters on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook (depending on their Facebook

presence) to get faster updates on their company’s job openings and to remain on their radar.

Some Final Thoughts…

• Rollins Career Services Website: http://rollins.edu/careerservices

• Jobvite 2013 Social Recruiting Survey Results • CareerEnlightenment.com • LinkedIn University & Student Site (videos/tip sheets): http://university.linkedin.com/index.html

• Book: Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies, by Joshua Waldman, MBA • Article: 3 Steps to Creating Your Personal Brand – and Why it Matters:

http://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/jun/26/creating-personal-brand-three-steps

• Article: A Dozen Ways to Build Your Personal Brand in an Online World: http://socialmediatoday.com/node/1700011

• Article: Create Your Personal Brand: 8 Steps: http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/create-your-personal-brand-8-steps.html

• Article: How to Create a Killer Personal Branding Campaign: http://mashable.com/2012/10/06/personal-branding-jobs/

• Article: 4 Keys to Building Your Personal Brand Through Social Media: http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/socialmadness/2013/08/4-keys-to-building-your-personal-brand.html?page=all

• LinkedIn Blog: How to Showcase Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn: 8 Tips: http://blog.linkedin.com/2012/06/26/personal-brand-on-linkedin/

• Article: 50 Ways to Use Twitter as a Job Search Tool (Mashable): http://applicant.com/twitter-job-search/

• Article: 5 Ways to Use Pinterest for Your Job Search: http://mashable.com/2012/09/23/pinterest-job-search/

• Glassdoor Blog: How to Find a Job Using Instagram: http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/find-job-instagram/

Resources & Sources

Q & A

Bridget Brennan, Talent Management Group Digital Risk bbrennan@digitalrisk.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/bridgetbrennan1 http://www.careers.digitalrisk.com 407-215-2900 x2191 Facebook Page: Digital Risk LinkedIn Group: Digital Risk – Making Mortgages Safe Twitter Page: @DigitalRiskJobs Anne Meehan, Assistant Director Rollins College ~ Office of Career Services asmeehan@rollins.edu http://www.linkedin.com/in/annemeehan http://www.rollins.edu/careerservices 407-646-2195 Facebook Page: Rollins Career Center LinkedIn Group: Rollins Alumni Group Follow-up email including: Webinar Survey ~ Thank you for your feedback! PowerPoint Presentation and LinkedIn Handouts Sign-Up for other webinars: Student Webinars & Alumni Webinars

Social Media Branding & Your Job Search

Quick Start: Profile Guide

CREATING A STRONG PROFILE AND PERSONAL BRAND ON LINKEDIN LinkedIn has been referred to as “your resume online.” This assertion is not far off, as there are many similarities between a LinkedIn profile and a resume. Employers search for candidates by name as well as key words so include accurate information about your education, experience, and skills. View the sample profile below for ideas, LinkedIn tips sheets, videos, and other tools to get started.

Sample Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/sample LinkedIn Tip Sheets & Videos: http://university.linkedin.com/university/global/en_us/index/linkedin-for-students.html LinkedIn Student Jobs Tool: http://www.linkedin.com/studentjobs (Search Internship & Entry-level Position Postings) LinkedIn Skills & Expertise Tool: http://www.linkedin.com/skills/ (Explore skills, see top professionals and join industry groups)

Follow these simple steps to create your LinkedIn Profile and claim your Public Profile URL: 1. Create an Account (http://linkedin.com/) - Visit the LinkedIn website and click “Join Now.” Enter your First and Last Name as well as

your Email and a Password. Complete your profile as much as possible using correct grammar and spelling (hint: type information into Word first to check for spelling errors or cut and paste from your resume).

2. Name – First and Last suggested so you can be found in a Google search by employers. LinkedIn does give the option to provide a former or maiden name as well.

3. Headline - Create a slogan or tagline promoting your professional ‘brand’; include keywords or phrases relevant to your area of study, industry, profession and/or career ambitions. Examples include:

• Honors Biology Senior Pursuing Pharmaceutical Career • Rollins College English Senior Experienced in Editing, Technical Writing, and Photography • Innovative, Organized, and Strategic Thinking Communication Major at Rollins College • IT Project Manager Seeking New Opportunity • International Relations Senior Pursuing Law Degree

4. Profile Photo - A professional-looking headshot of you alone can be uploaded or added later. 5. Location & Industry - Choose the industry you intend to enter and, if seeking a specific location for work, choose that location for your

profile. This way, when recruiters conduct searches for candidates, your profile will appear in searches for that area. 6. Education - Include schools and degrees attained (or in progress), coursework, and activities 7. Experience - Include internships, full-time jobs, community service activities and extra-curricular activities 8. Skills & Expertise

• Technical skills (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Social Media, Excel, iPhoto, Facebook, etc.) • Transferrable skills (writing, team building, adaptability, analytical, listening, research, languages, presenting, etc.) • Industry skills (editing, laboratory skills, HTML, counseling, financial accounting, teaching, training, etc.)

9. Summary – Create a keyword rich summary, like a cover letter, that highlights your interests and what you are seeking. 10. Claim your Public Profile LinkedIn URL

• Click on “Profile” and select “Edit Profile” from drop-down menu. • Under the photo box you will see a LinkedIn URL that was created for you. • Click on the “Edit” button; a box will pop up on the right-hand side of the screen titled “Customize Your Public Profile”. • Click on “Customize your public URL” and type in a professional profile id that resembles your name in all lowercase with no

spaces. Example: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tommytar or http://www.linked.com/in/thomasptar

• Click on “Set custom URL” to claim your public profile LinkedIn URL. • You may place this URL on your resume or send the link to employers allowing them to view your Profile.

11. Contact Info - You may include email addresses, phone numbers, personal websites and public Twitter accounts.

Flip over this handout for more LinkedIn profile tips

• OFFICE OF CAREER SERVICES • 170 W FAIRBANKS • 407.646.2195 • ROLLINS.EDU/CAREERSERVICES

Quick Start: Profile Guide

There are other sections you may include in your Profile, many of which mirror typical resume content. Throughout each section of your profile, it is important to consider keywords and phrases relevant to the target industry and your specific goals. Move these sections around to personalize your Profile and highlight your brand.

• Summary • Experience • Organizations • Volunteering & Causes • Education

• Courses • Projects • Skills & Expertise • Honors & Awards • Languages

• Certifications • Publications • Test Scores • Patents • Additional Info

Many of the sections above are self-explanatory; however the following tips will help clarify in some of these areas:

Summary Although this section may be intimidating for you, it can be one of the most impactful sections of a LinkedIn profile. Here, you have a blank canvas upon which to describe yourself. Since the profile is essentially a website, it is important to consider writing for the web: Write in small chunks, use bulleted lists whenever possible, and avoid long paragraphs. Of course, error-free and clear writing is important, too. The best summaries describe a person’s interests—both personal and professional—and are truly reflective of the individual’s voice. The summary helps other LinkedIn users by informing them what you have to offer. Being considerate of what information your audience may be seeking will help you in crafting your summary and improve your networking on LinkedIn. To draw a comparison, it may help to think of the summary like a cover letter.

Skills & Expertise This is a keyword and phrase hotspot for a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn also allows users to “endorse” skills listed in a fellow member’s profile as long as they are directly connected. Think of it as promoting a specific skill. You should input at least 10 skills in this section. Think of specific industry- or position-related skills, rather than simply “Microsoft Word.” Strong keywords like “financial reporting”, “marketing strategy”, or “event organizer” are best here. Finally, remember that endorsing those in your networks will help you gain endorsements for your top skills. To get endorsements, you should consider giving some (honestly, of course) first!

Experience, Organizations, Volunteering & Causes Within these sections, you can consider including things like: internships, part-time jobs, student club and organizational involvement, and volunteer experience inside and outside your college or university. It is important for you to display these things, just as it is for you to do so on your resume. The inclusion of industry-relevant keywords and phrases is just as critical here as in other sections of the profile.

Projects – Show What You Can do! You can now display samples of your work on you profile including presentations, research papers, videos, and other rich media under your Summary, Education, and Experience sections on your profile. You may select Upload File or select Add Link and include a description. This is a great way to show recruiters and other professionals what you can do!

Final Tips Join Rollins Alumni Group

• Click on “Interests” at the top menu and select “Groups” from the drop-down menu. • In the search box on the top of the screen, type in “Rollins College Alumni” and select it from the drop-down that appears on

the screen. • The Rollins College Alumni group will appear. Click “Join” to become a part of this networking group. • You have access to over 4,100 alumni connections by industry, career, major, city, or other interests.

Next Steps You can now connect with alumni, career professionals, and join groups of interest. You may also search the jobs section for opportunities. If you wish to have your profile reviewed, please make an appointment or stop by during walk-in hours (Monday - Friday, 3:00 – 5:00 PM).

• OFFICE OF CAREER SERVICES • 170 W FAIRBANKS • 407.646.2195 • ROLLINS.EDU/CAREERSERVICES

Connecting on Sample Connection Messages Hi John,

I’m a junior at Rollins and found your profile through our alumni group. I’m interested in exploring a career in publishing and really admire your career path. I am also a blogger and have enjoyed following your blog posts.

I’d be honored to be a part of your LinkedIn network.

Regards, Laura Hello Sarah,

I am a sophomore at Rollins and found your profile in our LinkedIn group. I admire your career in public relations and hope to pursue a similar path.

Would you be willing to connect with me and possibly offer some advice by email or phone? I would greatly appreciate your time!

Thank you, Chris Hello Elizabeth,

I’m a senior Biology major at Rollins and was impressed by your profile and career as a Science Education Consultant. I am considering this career path and would like to connect with you.

Would you be interested in a brief phone chat sometime soon?

Thanks for considering my request and keep up the excellent work!

Regards, Julie Tips for Connecting

• Write a brief, customized, polite note to explain your connection and why you want to connect. • It’s also a good idea to thoroughly read the person’s LinkedIn profile and mention something that stood out to you or

something you have in common • It is not appropriate to directly ask for a job in a connection request. As you can see in the example above, I recommend

using the request to build rapport and establish contact, then once the person accepts you can ask for advice or for the person to keep you in mind if he or she hears of any job opportunities that might be a good fit for you.

• Remember to use proper grammar and spelling - this is a professional communication that is contributing to your reputation.

• Remember that HOW you build your network is just as important as why you build it. Always be authentic, polite and positive. People will remember that when they hear about job openings.

• OFFICE OF CAREER SERVICES • 170 W. FAIRBANKS • 407.646.2195 • ROLLINS.EDU/CAREERSERVICES

Connecting on Connect with a Contact Once you’ve found a networking contact, you need to reach out to them to schedule an informational interview. Here is a sample message you could use when it’s time to connect with a networking contact. Make sure you include a specific question or two in the email so the contact understands what you want to discuss as well as your contact information.

Sample Email or LinkedIn message

Subject: Rollins College Student Seeking Information

Dear Ms. Thomas:

I found your name through the Rollins College Alumni Group on LinkedIn. As a senior at Rollins College, I am majoring in psychology with a minor in English. After graduation I am interested in pursuing a graduate degree in counseling and working with children with behavioral problems and families in transition. I see from your profile that this is your specialty area. Would you be open to letting me email, call, or meet you in person so that I can learn more about your career path? Like you, I am currently in the Orlando area and would be available to meet at your earliest convenience. I am free any day next week 2-5 p.m. I appreciate your consideration of my request for advice, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely, Laura Wilson 407.546.7183

Informational Interview Questions Job Description • Provide a brief description of the career field and of the

specific position held by your interviewee. List and briefly describe any related positions also in this field.

• Why did he/she initially choose this position/field? Education, Training & Skills • What academic degree(s) or field(s) of study is typically

required for this position? • What are the minimum qualifications typically required of

one entering this career field? • What are the suggested/preferred qualifications for one

entering this career field? • What are some obvious and not so obvious skills needed to

be successful in this career? (This may include computer, technical, presentation, communication, people/social, sales, foreign language skills, etc.)

Starting & Potential Salaries • What is a typical entry level salary in this field? What is mid-

level salary? It is okay to use salary ranges if a specific salary figure is not known. (Be sure it is clear that your interviewee knows you are not asking his/her current salary.)

• Aside from the salary, what are some of the perks of the position? (These could include benefits, flexibility of work schedules, vacation time, training/professional development opportunities, travel, etc.)

Job Accessibility, Future Growth & Potential for Advancement • How difficult is it to find employment in the field? Easy –

moderate – difficult? Why? • What is the anticipated job outlook for this field? Are job

openings expected to grow or shrink? Why? • Are there opportunities for advancement or are there other

jobs that this position could lead to? Work Environment & Conditions • Describe the environment in which you do your work (inside

office, lab work, outdoors). • What are the work hours? How flexible is the work

schedule? • What is the dress code? • Is there a lot of sedentary/desk work? A lot of field work? • Do you work in teams, alone or both? • Is there much interaction with others, inside or outside of

your organization? • What do you like most about your work? What do you like

least about the job? Career Path • Since graduating from college, describe the career path that

lead to their current position. Is this typical? • Ask your interviewee to reflect upon their experience and

describe any recommendations he/she may have for college students preparing for a future career.

Follow-Up ALWAYS send an email or hand-written note to thank them for their time and career insight within 24 hours after your interview!

• OFFICE OF CAREER SERVICES • 170 W. FAIRBANKS • 407.646.2195 • ROLLINS.EDU/CAREERSERVICES