Networking and social media
Master the art of networking and professional communication and create a LinkedIn profile to impress employers.
Networking is a crucial skill you need to effectively manage your career, but it’s not always easy knowing where to start. Whilst a lot of people don’t relish the idea of networking (and often actively shy away from it), it doesn’t need to be scary! At its core, networking is about communicating and building relationships and you’ll already be doing that on a daily basis with a wide range of people. You already have a network, which likely includes family, friends, neighbours, employers and work colleagues, but university is an excellent time to fine-tune your networking skills and expand your personal and professional connections.
What makes networking such a powerful tool for your career is that you never know who within your network can help you, or when. From gaining advice, support and mentoring, to accessing jobs or work experience, networking brings many benefits. Networking can happen through family and friends in an informal situation as well as more formally such as at a careers fair or during a training course or conference. More often in the digital age, networking happens online via social media and LinkedIn.
Networking is based on the question ‘How can I help?’ rather than ‘What can I get?’ and when you build connections, it’s important to think about how you can also help others. Tupper and Ellis use the term ‘career karma‘ to reflect the reciprocal nature of networking:
It’s important to remember that networking is simply people helping people…To build an effective network you need to be clear about what you can give that is valuable to people and be specific about what help you need and from whom. If you start by being supportive of others you will begin building relationships that can be transformative for your career.
Top tips for networking
Research and prepare
When networking with potential employers, for example at a careers fair, it's important to spend time thinking about what you will say and how you will introduce yourself.
Be confident
Read these top tips for overcoming common networking fears. An elevator pitch can come in handy in more formal networking scenarios, but the conversation doesn't just end after you have introduced yourself! Develop confidence in your conversational skills and both asking and responding to questions.
Practise
Hone your communication skills through practise. Through Student Futures, you could apply to join the mentoring scheme, attend a wide range of employer events, gain work experience and get advice at careers appointments. Engaging in these activities will allow you to practise communicating professionally, whether that be with a Careers Adviser or employer. Being an effective communicator is a key graduate attribute you are developing whilst at university.
Using social media and LinkedIn to network
More employers than ever are using social media to source the right candidates, making it an essential forum to advertise your skills, establish your online brand, network with contacts and turn virtual leads into real-life job opportunities.
Many employers now perform background checks on candidates:
Social media checking is now a standard part of pre-employment screening. According to recent research by YouGov, up to 80% of employers are likely to check a candidate's social media accounts as part of their recruitment and onboarding procedure.
This is why it’s so important to check your digital footprint and see what is publicly viewable about you online. The best way to do this is to google yourself and see what comes up! It’s also a good idea to make sure personal social media accounts are private and create separate accounts you can just use professionally.
X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
More informal social media platforms can be useful for networking and your career development. Before you start, think about your career goals and aspirations and what you hope to achieve through using a social media platform for your career development. With the platforms listed below, you can create a clear professional identity and online brand, through things like a professional profile and image and the way in which you engage with content. Here are some top tips tailored to each social media platform listed below:
- X (formerly Twitter) – You don’t necessarily have to tweet yourself; you could just follow companies or topics and retweet posts of interest. What you choose to tweet or retweet can show your interest in a particular career or sector
- Facebook – Facebook makes it easy to ask your personal connections for information and advice about your career or job search and can also provide a resource for information on both individuals and companies. The informal nature of the site, and its interactivity, means that you can often obtain information and communicate with employers in a way that may not be possible elsewhere
- Instagram – Instagram is a great way to promote your skills, knowledge or experience via highly visual content such as images, stories or reels. It’s a particularly useful platform for those in the arts or creative industries looking to showcase your creativity and talent
- TikTok – TikTok can provide useful insights into different careers, for example a ‘Day in the Life’ video, and can be a great platform to gain top tips for your career in an engaging and informal way. However, be sure to critically evaluate the content you are viewing – is it accurate and can you rely on it? It’s no replacement for real careers advice from a qualified expert so book a careers appointment in your Student Futures Account for reliable advice and guidance on your career options
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and has fundamentally changed the way in which we network – now you don’t even have to meet someone to consider them part of your network! LinkedIn is an excellent tool for any student and graduate and can help with job-hunting, networking and researching different career paths.
Use the resource below to guide you through our top tips for creating your LinkedIn profile:
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Using LinkedIn effectively
Creating your profile is just the start with LinkedIn. Read our top tips below on utilising LinkedIn to help you in your career:
Grow your network
Don't just let your profile stagnate; LinkedIn's power is in its ability to help you easily grow your professional network! When you are happy with your profile, you can connect to other people on LinkedIn. Start with those you know first, for example your friends, course-mates or colleagues. Searches for people on LinkedIn are prioritised by how closely connected you are to that individual and the closer the connection, the more information you can see. Connecting to people brings you closer to people in their network!
Research career options
Search profiles of people working in jobs you are interested in or at companies you want to work for and gain inspiration from their career journeys and tips for your own profile. For example, what work experience did they do or what professional organisations are they a member of?
Connect with alumni
By including Cardiff University in your Education section, you will be linked to Cardiff University's LinkedIn page and able to use the 'Alumni' function. You can search for people who have graduated from your course at Cardiff University. This is great way to get an idea of career paths with your degree and expand your network!
Look for jobs
LinkedIn is an extensive job-hunting platform. You can search for jobs relating to your skills and qualifications and in some cases use your LinkedIn profile as your application. Read LinkedIn's advice on searching for jobs on their website.
Demonstrate your career goals and interests
Actively utilise LinkedIn to demonstrate a consistent commitment to your career goals and interests. Follow companies you are interested in or who are prominent in your sector. Join groups related to your course, interests and career aspirations. Your activity on LinkedIn, your posts and how you engage with others' posts can also help evidence your career goals, for example highlighting a recent news article related to your sector and analysing how it might impact the field.
LinkedIn profile checklist
Once you have completed your profile you should check the following:
