MARCH 2023
Gillian
Connect on Linkedin
Gillian is a digital intern at a PR agency who loves games, anime, D&D, and spending time with friends!
Networking On Linkedin
When I was in college, I was terrified of networking. I was anxious to reach out to people on LinkedIn, especially those in senior positions with several years of experience. After all, why would they bother giving a student like me even a second of their time?
While networking can be nerve wracking, it can also be incredibly rewarding. When done from a plac of respect and genuine curiosity, you can find new friendships, mentorships, and opportunities.
So how can a student successfully network? Follow my top 3 tips below:
Tip #1: Always Include a Note to Every Connection Request
Imagine this scenario:
You’ve just created a LinkedIn account and have started adding your classmates and friends. While doing this, you start getting connection requests from people you don’t know. They have no mutual connections and you’re not sure where you’d know them from. Would you still accept their connection request? If you answered “No” to this scenario, then you’re on the right track.
Professionals who work at companies like Google or Amazon often get multiple connection requests per day. To ensure yours doesn’t get ignored, include a note with your connection request. Relate to the person you’re reaching out to. For example, mention if you’ve attended one of their LinkedIn Live events, saw their post on your newsfeed, subscribed to their newsletter, or went to the same school. Here’s an example of a connection request I wrote that led to a quick coffee chat:
Hi [Name]! My name is Gillian and I’m a recent graduate from SJSU. I saw you also went to SJSU and that you currently work at TikTok. I would love to have a coffee chat with you to learn more about your career journey and how you got to where you are now!”
Tip #2: Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date
Now you’ve made your connection request and are patiently waiting for a response. Once a person accepts your request, they will likely look at your profile next. Update your profile with a straightforward headline and profile summary that shows off your unique personality (exclamation marks and emojis are encouraged). Having a strong profile will help your new connections get to know you better ahead of any coffee chats or informational interviews.
Tip #3: Engage with others’ posts
Another great way to build a relationship with others is by engaging with their posts! If a post resonated with you, comment about why you liked it! People will notice those who consistently interact with their posts in a genuine manner.
Try these 3 tips out next month on LinkedIn and feel free to connect with me here.
Jeff Nguyen
CEO - BobaTalks
Favorite Boba Flavor: Milk Tea
Outro
I’ve been thinking long and hard about what I wanted the first outro message to be – if it were to be a personal anecdote, a story, or even an overshare of what BobaTalks means to me. I’ve decided that for the very first one, I want it to be a message. A very dear message to any student reading this. And that message is:
It is alright to ask for help.
It is quite hard for anyone to ask for help. Be it pride, cultural upbringing, comfortability, or anything else in between, asking for help can seem overwhelming. Which is why I want to say, whenever you are ready, come let us know. We have mentors and resources, and we’ll always be free to all students looking for guidance. So no matter how messy, how undefined, or how lost your headspace is, don’t worry. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll be here.
We’ll figure it out, together.
Check Out Our
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