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DIRE DOWNTURN: Online networking key for students seeking jobs, says professor
SHANESSA FAKOUR
Issue date: 4/14/09 Section: News
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Technology is a vital resource in the job hunt, and in this economy, it offers opportunities to network with professionals in the career field upcoming graduates are seeking.
"The main thing students can do with technology is build their networks," said Scott Shamp, director of the New Media Institute. "The best network students have right now is their e-mail contact lists." He said students preparing to graduate should send out personal e-mails to their contacts telling them the year they graduate and what their interests are.
Networking means establishing relationships with career professionals for the purpose of making contacts and sharing information for personal or professional gain, according to the Career Center.
LinkedIn is a free, professional networking Web site that has more than 35 million professionals in various fields participating. LinkedIn users can create and maintain contacts, post job offers and create profiles that display their résumés, according to its Web site.
To start building a professional network on LinkedIn, ask to be contacts with professors, said Richard Watson, the interim head of Management Information Systems. Then, contact your parents' professional friends. This will build a network of people who can lead you to a job, Watson said.
Students should also look for University alumni on LinkedIn, Shamp said. "Every alumni loves to hear from students who are just graduating from the program they've graduated from," he said. LinkedIn can help students find people with common interests and build their network and job prospects, Shamp said.
But there is a proper way to network with others, and one of them does not involve begging. Do not show desperation for a job when networking, Shamp said.
"People get turned off by desperation," he said. In your e-mails, talk about your passions, interests and activities that are personally fulfilling, he said.
Then, contacts may put interested graduates in contact with someone they know who works in that field.
According to the Career Center's career guide, one in five employers use sites like Facebook to research job candidates. Approximately 77 percent of employers use search engineers to evaluate candidates. Shamp suggests students Google search their names to see what material may need to be deleted, if possible.
"You want to start to build your own brand. That's information about you that is appropriate, interesting and relevant to potential employers."
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