Did you know LinkedIn can assist you with choosing which university to attend, and which courses to study by seeing what other alumni and professionals have done before? Have you ever wondered which companies have hired graduates specific to your university or your field of studies? These tips will help you best use LinkedIn’s alumni tools to make these decisions so you can be great at what you do.

1. Topic 5: How to
Guide Your Career Path
Using LinkedIn’s Alumni Tool

2. Well, with LinkedIn’s Alumni tool
on your side, you can seriously
improve your chances…
Read and resolve to make this
tool your trusted ally.
It could well be your path to
enlightenment -- even your
dream job.
If we told you it was
possible to map a path to
your ideal career would you
say it sounded too good to
be true?

3. If you’ve been following the series you’ll already
be something of an expert in a few things that will
come in handy here.
Topic 1 covered the importance of having a super profile – one that
lists all your accomplishments, so that you can easily be found by
others.

4. Topic 2 was all about why, when it comes to
forging a great career, relationships are crucial.
We learned that the secret is to start with your
immediate network.
Connections are about who you know. Where your network comes
in handy, is when they know someone else who may be able to
help you on your path. Then your connection may be able to
introduce you…

5. Topic 3 showed how you can leverage the mighty
power of LinkedIn to find your first job or internship.
We saw that it’s all about optimizing your profile, asking your
connections for assistance and making the most of all the many
ways you can search for jobs on Linkedin’s central database.

6. Topic 4 showed us the value of keeping your
network engaged and how giving and receiving
advice, along with insights from thought leaders
could help transform your career.

7. In our fifth and final topic of the series, we’ll
explore how your university classmates and
alumni could become your greatest allies in
helping to unlock opportunities - and secure your
ideal position.
Let’s jump right in...

8. Step 1:
Prepare for your journey
Did you know LinkedIn can
assist you with choosing which
university to attend, and which
course to study by seeing what
most people have done before?

9. Say
you know you’d
love to work in the field of
‘design’ in the future but you’re
not sure which course to take or what
kind of career a course might lead to
afterwards.
LinkedIn could help you
find the answers.

10. It could also provide valuable
suggestions of which universities
to consider attending based on the
career paths of their alumni.
If you search for ‘design’ on
LinkedIn’s ‘field of study’
explorer or ‘university
finder’ it will bring up
valuable info on people
who studied design and
the schools they attended.

11. So you’re in the midst of your university
studies and no doubt you’re asking
yourself a lot of questions. Who am I?
What should I do with my life?
While we don’t have a crystal ball that holds
all the answers, we can certainly help you
with planning your next steps.
Step 2:
Set the wheels in motion

12. LinkedIn’s Alumni tool is
a great place to start.
It offers powerful,
personalised insights
about studying and career
possibilities, based on
your educational choices.

13. Gathering information from more than 347 million
members, it helps you explore graduate career paths from
thousands of colleges and universities worldwide.
Use the Alumni tool to start mapping your future career now. It could
help you build relationships that last throughout your working life.

14. Why not compare the
skills and career paths
of alumni to your own?
Take a look at graduates
from your university
and field of study, and
then filter in companies
or industries you are
interested in.

15. See where graduates from
your university and field of
study live, the kind of jobs
they do and the companies
they work for.
LinkedIn’s data makes it
simple to drill down into
specific career areas.

16. Filter dates to track
careers of specific
graduating classes.
This will help you find
people you might know or
anyone you might want to
reach out to.

17. The Alumni tool is also
useful for those trying
to select a postgraduate
program.
Not sure where to study
or what degree to go for
next? Check the profiles
of graduates with careers
closely aligned to your own
personal goals.

18. Search for a school,
select the field of
study and LinkedIn
will generate a handy
list of companies that
have hired graduates
from that specific
establishment.

19. Let’s say you want to be a
marketing manager for an
international airline. Use the
Alumni tool to track down a
Marketing Manager at Virgin
America and see how she got to
where she wanted to be.
The next step is to
identify alumni who are
living your dream right
now.
Aim high!

20. Take note of the career
path that took her from
school to her current
position.
You could be scooping
an industry award for
your latest successful
campaign before you
know it.

21. Don’t be shy.
Get in touch and ask for insights
and help from what they’ve
learned along the way.
Make it your habit to
research the profiles of
alumni that inspire you.

22. Whatever way you use the
Alumni tool, remember to
always reach out in the right
way.
Always write a personalized
message that explains who you
are, how you came across their
profile and what help you think
they might be able to offer you.

23. Step 3:
Realising you’ve arrived
Graduating is a bitter-sweet moment you’ll
never forget. It’s a strange feeling, finally
getting that degree in your hands.
But after you’ve hung up your cap and gown,
don’t forget to stay in the loop with your old
university friends and alumni.

24. Find out who’s doing what and where.
They might need a new co-worker or be able to put
you in touch with someone integral to your dream role.

25. And, once you’re all settled into
a job you love, remember to give
back.
Inspire others that were once in your
shoes by sharing industry knowledge
and insights.

26. Point
them in the
direction of people
that can help them.
Build students up and inspire
them. Who knows - one day
you might be working with
them.

27. And there you have it!
A guide to getting the most out of LinkedIn’s
amazing Alumni tool.

28. Remember these key points and in no time, you’ll
be the one others come to for career advice!
We wish you every success
forging your dream career
– go get ‘em!
It’s never too early to start planning
your career. You can use LinkedIn’s
University Finder to help you decide
which university to go to.
While you’re in school, use LinkedIn’s
University tool to help you decide
which courses might help you
develop the skills you need to land
your ideal job.
Use LinkedIn after graduation to keep
in touch with former classmates.
Former classmates might be able to
offer you great advice or point you in
the direction of an opportunity.
When you reach out to people, make
sure you’re doing it the right way. Send
a personalised message explaining
who you are and how the person can
help.