Whether you went to college, trade school, or are part of an organization, most people are part of one or more alumni networks. And if you’re job searching, you may be wondering how you can find the right people in your alumni network to talk to about job opportunities.
The first thing to know is that individual outreach is more effective than group outreach. Yes, it is easier to post to a Facebook group or message a listserv for alumni, but it’s also far easier for your message to get lost. This means you probably need a way to search through a large number of alumni contacts and find the right people to network with.
Search for your school's alumni website to see what resources are available to you. There may be a private alumni social network, different regional alumni groups, alumni groups that you can join on various social media platforms, and specific shared interest and cultural groups that you may want to join.
Try to join all the alumni network groups that make sense for you. If none of those options are available or the groups aren't very active, you can still search on LinkedIn for people who are associated with your school or organization by using LinkedIn’s advanced filters.
On LinkedIn, you can navigate to your school's LinkedIn page and find the alumni tab to search for the ideal people to reach out to. You can filter by the following parameters:
- Alumni with a job title you want
- Alumni working at an employer you'd like to work for
- Alumni in a location you are job searching in
- Alumni who went to your school during a specific range of years
- Alumni working in an industry you would like to work in
- Alumni with the same major (or a related major) as you, and
- Alumni who may have a mutual connection to you
If you are in school or just graduated, look for alumni who are 2-3 years into their careers. These people are likely preparing to move on and up from jobs which you are qualified for and will have good insights into the hiring process and opportunities for entry level positions at their company. Additionally, people in the early stages of their careers do not usually get as many (if any) requests for networking meetings and informational interviews, which means they are more likely to say yes!
If you are further along in your career, look for alumni in your own cohort, and then work out from there. Don’t underestimate the value of networking with people at the early stages of their career— they won’t be there forever, and you will make a far bigger impression if you invest the time in getting to know them before other people do.
Once you’ve made your list, you’ll need to contact them and ask for an informational interview. It doesn’t have to be scary or awkward though; learn how to connect with people you don’t know on LinkedIn (you can use the same format on other platforms or via email as well). Remember, you probably don't want to ask for a job immediately. Asking for career advice, how to make your resume or application stand out, insights on what it's like to work in a particular role or company, and referrals to others who may be able to help with your job search are all valuable asks that help your new connections better understand what your skills and interests are so they can help you get hired.
In addition to messaging people online, you may want to see if your school offers events for alumni to network and make connections with other alumni in your city. This can be a great way to meet face to face with other alumni who know of job openings at their company or can offer you introductions to others who may be able to help you with your career goals. If you're worried about events that are too heavily focused on networking, there are often alumni events that are paired with fun activities to offer more opportunities for connection without the pressure of traditional networking events, such as group volunteer opportunities, book clubs, golf outings, lectures & discussions, cooking classes, happy hours, and more.
This article or portions of this article was written by Karissa Justice and originally appeared on Work Can Be Better.
