Get more out of the alumni network on LinkedIn
Photo: Screenshot from LinkedIn
CBS Alumni hears from alumni wishing to get in touch with other CBS alumni because they’ve moved abroad and want to start up a network in their area or would like to contact alumni employed by a specific company. Or they are searching for former fellow students from their year or alumni with experience in a field of interest. LinkedIn contains a great deal of the information these alumni are looking for and CBS’ University Page on LinkedIn is an excellent tool for finding other alumni in this vast network. Furthermore, CBS Alumni has a networking group on LinkedIn with more than 18.400 members.
In the article “CBS alumni – by the numbers”, you can find out where CBS alumni are located geographically according to their LinkedIn profiles.
Search for alumni on the University Page
CBS’ University Page allows you to identify the location of more than 120,000 CBS alumni and students worldwide. Information on who they work for, what field they work in and the people in their networks is also available. CBS’ University Page provides the opportunity to execute targeted searches based on various parameters displaying not only search results in numbers but also as an overview of LinkedIn profiles that match the search. LinkedIn profiles, for example, of alumni living in your area or working at the same company will be shown. Then it’s just a question of getting in touch with them if you’d like to get more out of the alumni network on LinkedIn.
Getting started
• Go to CBS’ University Page on LinkedIn
• Click on “Explore Careers of 120,000+ Alumni”
Six parameters with a top 25 list appear showing, e.g. where they live, where they work and their skills and field of interest. The information available on this page stems from the LinkedIn profiles that list CBS as their place of higher education.
Limit your search
• Search for alumni who graduated in a specific year or within a specific period
• Limit your search, for instance, to a country or specified business; use the free text search feature (click on the magnifying glass at top of column) to find parameters not listed in the overview
• Do general free text searches using the field centred at the top of the page (searches keywords in entire profile)
When you limit your search the other parameters are adjusted. If you search, for example, for “London”, then companies employing alumni located in London will appear. If you instead choose to search for a specified company, the other parameters will indicate where employees in that company are located and what field they work in worldwide.
Find specific profiles
At the bottom of the page is an overview of LinkedIn-profiles that match the search being shown. Information is listed providing alumnis’ year of graduation from CBS, location, what they do, the number of LinkedIn connections you share and who they are. If you are already connected so someone, you can send them a message. If not, you can send them a request to connect on LinkedIn.
Get in touch – also outside your network
If you would like to write a message to an alumnus or alumna who is not a part of your network and who you therefore can’t freely talk to on LinkedIn, then use CBS Alumni’s networking group on LinkedIn, which will allow you to contact over 18,400 members, if you’re both members of the group. Alternatively, send an InMail via the person’s profile (requires a Premium account). Don’t hesitate to contact alumni you don’t know personally. As CBS alumni, you have a shared point of reference and a good conversation starter.
Actively use the CBS networking group
Alumni are encouraged to become members of CBS Alumni’s networking group on LinkedIn, with over 18,400 members eager to maintain and develop their network with one another and CBS. Use the group actively, ask questions or ask for help with, for instance, industry-specific or professional issues that you would like an objective response to. There is also the option of free text searches of group members by clicking on “Members”. A search for “self-employed,” for instance, provides a list of group members with that term listed in their profile.
Don’t miss out – Receive a summary of the group’s activities
Follow discussions and job announcements from members of CBS Alumni’s networking group and stay up-to-date on news, stories and invitations from CBS Alumni. If you don’t visit the group often, sign up to receive a daily or weekly digest email of the group’s activities to stay current. Start on the group’s page and click on the gear icon in the upper right hand corner (“Settings”) and check off the boxes to receive a mail from LinkedIn with news from the group. Even though you may have previously signed up for notifications, it’s a good idea to check your settings again because LinkedIn recently made changes that may have resulted in members’ notifications being reset.
Don’t hesitate to contact CBS Alumni if you have any questions about how to take advantage of the alumni network on LinkedIn.