{"id":1834,"date":"2016-04-12T22:33:11","date_gmt":"2016-04-12T22:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/cas\/?p=1834"},"modified":"2024-07-12T16:12:27","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T16:12:27","slug":"communication-students-alumni-and-linkedin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/case\/2016\/04\/12\/communication-students-alumni-and-linkedin\/","title":{"rendered":"UM-Flint Communication Students, Alumni, and LinkedIn"},"content":{"rendered":"

UM-Flint Communication<\/a> faculty are using social platforms to help their students think more strategically about their time on campus and their careers after graduation.<\/p>\n

Said\u00a0department chair Marcus Paroske, “The Communication faculty recognized we had this network of over 1,000 graduates out there, and new students every semester looking for internships and employment. It made perfect sense to connect the two through our own LinkedIn group. We hope the UM-Flint Communication LinkedIn group<\/a> will strengthen our own ties with our alumni, and over time generate a massive network that will benefit students for years to come.”<\/p>\n

\"CAS_presentation\"<\/a>
UM-Flint communication students attending a workshop on using social media as a professional tool.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To prepare their current communication students for this project, Assistant Professor Dr. Dan Lair held a workshop titled, LinkedIn as a Platform to Promote Your Professional Self<\/em>. He noted, “Whether you like it or not, employers are taking advantage of the internet to piece together a story about you as a potential employee. LinkedIn offer students an opportunity to put those pieces together for them and tell your professional story the way you want it told.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout the short presentation, Lair focused on the idea of each student balancing their personal self with their professional brand. He encouraged them to consider their time at UM-Flint as their current “career” if they weren’t otherwise working. He mentioned the importance of including volunteer work,\u00a0group activities, and leadership opportunities in addition to making notes of particularly useful or applicable classes. He added that LinkedIn can be viewed as “a resume without limitations” and that it should be used as “one tool among many, one that you can control.”<\/p>\n

\"Dan<\/a>
Dan Lair presents LinkedIn tips to his Communication students at UM-Flint<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lair advised that, at the bare minimum, the students should keep an active profile that can be viewed by potential internship providers and employers. He noted a few key areas that anyone with a LinkedIn should pay attention to:<\/p>\n