Friday, July 1, 2011

GradLINK - Be the Competition

Now that I’ve dished out the basics on applying to ‘the real world,’ I can show you GradLINK: a service designed to assist students through their transition from school to work. This is exclusive to Brock University graduating students and recent alumni but, I encourage students of other institutions to ask your Career Centre what they have created for you - and continue reading because I may have another surprise for you.

By joining the GradLINK Network you will receive emails based on your interests (that means no junk mail!) Resources available include job postings, employer recruitment sessions, career related workshops, and a supportive network of fellow students and yours sincerely at Career Services. All you need is a Linked In account!
…Please tell me you have a Linked In account.

Alright, if you have no idea what I’m talking about, you need to get in on this fast! Linked In is a social networking tool similar to Facebook – except it’s clean, professional and essentially creates an online resume/portfolio for you. Remember our chat about networking? It pops up quite a bit. Linked In creates an environment for professionals to (re)connect with each other. So, if you go to an employer showcase you can add them to your network and keep in touch!

GradLINK Network is a group on Linked In. All you have to do is follow these steps. Make sure you complete your profile! An empty profile can make you seem bland or inexperienced. If you’re curious on how your profile can look, take a peek at mine. Once you’re a member you can add interactive widgets to showcase more of your work. For example, I’ve added a portfolio from the Behance Network to display artwork.

Anyway, whether you’re a Brock student or not – get on Linked In and make connections! And then actually use it! Linked In has great potential; in fact, over 60 million people agree! It’s like Facebook – if you don’t write to anyone, update your profile or post photos, your presence goes unnoticed. So be pro-active. Join the GradLINK Network on Linked In today!

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