Networking University of Manchester Careers Blog

Networking Ever heard the phrase it’s not what you know it’s who you know well I think it should be changed to Its not what you know it’s who your connected to. I’m of course talking about social media and how it can be used to help you both network with prospective employers and find out about opportunities that are out there.  More employers are now actively using social media as a way to promote themselves and the vacancies they have. So sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter can be, and should be utilized for careers success. LinkedIn It’s becoming a bit of a cliché but LinkedIn really is the facebook for professionals! A LinkedIn account is a great way of developing an online profile to complement your CV. A good profile will impress employers if they ‘Google’ you, so what are you waiting for?! Once you’ve registered an account connecting with people on LinkedIn is easy just follow these steps â€" Create a profile Your profile will act as your LinkedIn CV, A CV employers will be able to see therefore it is essential that you highlight all the key work you have done and accomplishments that you have achieved. Also try to use buzz words used in your chosen industry.     Having a good LinkedIn profile will mean that more people will be interested in connecting and networking with you. Get Contacts â€" This may seem daunting at first so why not start with course mates or even lectures.  From then you’ll be able to see who these people are connected to and develop your network that way. Join Groups â€" Joining groups is a great way of networking with possible employers. You can join as many groups as you want, so if you’re interested in working in a particular sector search and join associated groups.  As member of a LinkedIn group you will be able to see and join in with discussions. Joining in with discussions and talking to people is a great way of building up useful contacts. Here are a few ideas of groups you could join. Find out more about using LinkedIn for career success here. Twitter Employers are increasingly using Twitter to promote their vacancies and events.   Following certain employers will also mean that you will be one of the first to hear about any opening/closing dates and events/presentations being run by the organisation. Once you have registered an account it’s really easy to find, follow and communicate with organisations and professionals in every industry. Search for sector specific accounts and if you are interested in particular employers follow them.   I also recommend you follow our twitter accounts (obviously!)   as we aim to keep you informed of anything we hear about.   We have a general twitter account ManUniCareers, postgrad account ManPGCareers,   work experience account mcrworkexp and our media club feed mcrmediaclub. Find out more about using twitter for career success here. I also wanted to add on a cautionary note about using Facebook. Just because you predominantly use facebook to communicate with your friends and share pictures it doesn’t mean to say that employers will not search for your facebook pages. So before you make a comment or upload that ‘hilarious’ picture think about how an employer might react to or view this.       All Graduate networking