Get “IN”
LinkedIn is considered to be the professional networking tool of choice in the social media arena. To utilize LinkedIn most effectively, you should make individual and group connections. Groups are based on some mutual commonality that can be professional, interest or geographically based. To increase your network exponentially, join the Official Georgia Tech Alumni Association LinkedIn Group with almost 14,000 members. Through the GTAA Group, you have the ability to contact alumni to ask professional questions about industries, companies and career paths.
Get Started
If you have not joined LinkedIn, first visit www.linkedin.com and create a profile. Similar to your resume, you want to make sure that your LinkedIn profile is well-written and presents you in the best possible manner. In your profile, include details about your education, professional experience and projects that will allow your networking contacts to know more about your background. Once your profile is established, you can immediately begin to link to classmates and colleagues.
Get Connected
The Official Georgia Tech Alumni Association LinkedIn Group should be at the top of your list of groups to join. Definitely also consider joining other groups related to your major or professional areas you’d like to pursue. You can link to the Alumni Association group by clicking on the LinkedIn logo just above the GTAA calendar at www.gtalumni.org. You can also find the GTAA group and other groups through the search bar located in the upper right corner of your LinkedIn homepage (pictured below). When searching for groups, be sure to select Groups from the pull down just beside the search blank.
Get Advanced
The Advanced search page is linked in the upper right corner of your LinkedIn home page. Click on Advanced to search among your group and individual contacts for people in industries, companies and locations of interest. You can even search via keywords to generate a list of contacts that mention a particular skill set or certification in their profiles that you want to know more about. You can limit searches to those in your LinkedIn groups only. To do this, scroll down to the Relationship heading and select Group Members. You can message fellow group members through the system just as you can your personal connections. Once you generate your list of potential connections, you can review profiles and message individuals through the LinkedIn system.
