If you want a better return on your investment, making connections and building relationships is the best strategy to use, and Linkedin is set up to do this. Use the advanced people search link and put in a few key words and voila, you will get a list of people in your area of interest. If you don’t know them personally (second and third degree connections), go through the connections you have in common and ask them introduce you! Also try the groups. Also, do a keyword search to see what groups are out there in your interest area. Once you are a member of a group, you can reach out to anyone in the group and connect with them. There are several CU-Boulder alumni groups you can join.
The Forever Buffs Network is another great resource. Once you are registered, check out the Ask A Buff tab and the Directory tab. Try out different key words and see who comes up! With the directory, it’s best to do a “global search.” I heard recently from an alumnus who used this technique and within an hour of sending out an e-mail he heard back from over a dozen alums that were willing to help him out.
Once you find someone, you’ll want to conduct what is called an “Informational Interview.” Check out the following website, Quintessential Careers, for more information: http://www.quintcareers.com/informational_interviewing.html. Your focus should be on gathering information not on getting a job. Through the conversations you’ll have, you will end up building relationships, getting referrals, job leads and maybe even hired! Below is an example of an e-mail you can use to send out to people to introduce yourself.
Dear __________,
My name is ______________. I am an alumnus/alumna of CU-Boulder. I came across your name in the “Forever Buffs Network.” On that site, I noticed that you listed you work for ________ as a _______________. I’m conducting career research to explore different career options and to clarify my career goals. Right now, I’m [provide a little background]. I would love to meet with you and talk for maybe 30 minutes to find out more about your field of expertise. I would appreciate any advice you can give me.
Thank you in advance for your time. I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
If you would like more information about how best to go about using these tools, contact Lea Alvarado, Alumni Career Counselor at lea.alvarado@colorado.edu.
