Networking is the game and LinkedIn is the tool, according to EWU senior Emma Tilbury.

A LinkedIn Workshop will be held April 7 and conducted by The Public Relations Society of America (PRSSA) along with EWU Career Services to give students tips to better organize their profiles for successful networking.
“LinkedIn has changed networking in so many ways,” said EWU career advisor Jessica Berwick.

“It puts each user in the driver seat and provides a wealth of information as compared to traditional in-person networking. With LinkedIn you can practically network with anyone from anywhere at any time.”

The workshop will be located in Patterson 248 and will cover specific areas students can highlight on their profiles. This includes academic achievements, organizations students are involved in along with any causes they are involved in or care about, according to Berwick.

“I’ll also be covering how to write profile content and I’ll show students some of the features on LinkedIn — LinkedIn Pulse, job searching, recommendations, groups and how to network,” Berwick said.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with more than 400 million members in 200 countries and territories around the globe.

“Ninety-two percent of recruiters use social media in the recruiting process and 87 percent of those recruiters use LinkedIn,” said Tilbury. “These statistics show that having a LinkedIn profile, particularly one that is complete, professional and easy to read, can help you make connections in the professional world. Making these connections outside of Eastern is incredibly important to student success post-graduation.”

Social media plays a role in a recruitment process for most employers and a simple Google search can reveal a lot about someone, both positively and negatively, according to Berwick.

Berwick advises college students to create a LinkedIn profile as early as their sophomore year, regardless of their major. Although, putting a specific time aside, students should be sure they have relevant professional information to share in their profile.

“I don’t think [social media] is the most important aspect of the networking process or building professional relationships,” said Tilbury. “Ideally, you would network in person with professionals in your field of study and follow up via email, LinkedIn or another appropriate form of professional communication.”

The workshop will touch base on how students can form a solid base of trusted, well-known professionals on LinkedIn, who can introduce them to other professionals.

“We want our workshop to be accessible to the people who need it most: students, particularly juniors and seniors who are graduating within the next year or so,” said Tilbury. “Holding this workshop on campus is the best way to get students to come because they’re already comfortable in this environment and most likely live near the area.”