Building Student Networks with LinkedIn: The Potential for Connections, Internships, and Jobs

Networking is a chance to interact with people, build friendships or business partners, identify opportunities, and create value. Technology has made this process easier, since individuals can readily contact others who were previously unknown. In the professional world, LinkedIn has become the standard way to build virtual and personal networks. One innovative class exercise had students building profiles, garnering connections, joining groups, posting comments, and obtaining and writing letters of recommendations. The results were overwhelmingly positive, with students exceeding the required mandates, but more important, they learned how to use networking tools to improve their knowledge and access to experts, and secured job offers based on their LinkedIn profile and presence.