Leverage Emory technology to build your network

The EAA loves its career networking technology, but there's really nothing better than the ol' grip and grin.

Regular listeners of Coach Chat, the EAA's career education telesession series, know that we never get through an entire program without discussing networking. It’s a practical reality of any job search or career transition that you need to connect with people, and doing so requires that you tap into people you know or with whom you share a common bond, among others.

Of course, a common bond we all share is our tie to our alma mater, whether we were here as an undergraduate or graduate or professional student. A year ago, the EAA launched E-Connection, an online professional networking community expressly for Emory alumni and students. More than 5,000 Emory alumni and students are now members, building profiles, forming or joining groups around professional or personal interests, and connecting with others.

Here are a few pointers on using E-Connection as part of your career strategy:

• Search for alumni in target industries or professions. Under “People” > “Find,” you can use the vendor-provided fields for job function or industry to filter your search, and can further filter by region or state or by relationship (“friends of friends,” “most connected,” etc.).
• Search for alumni by employer. Under “People” > “Find” > “Keywords,” click on “Search Specific Fields.” (You can also search by employer in the “Find People” box at the top of your screen, but should put the employer name in quotation marks to yield the best results).
  
• Filter by people who can offer career advice, career opportunities, company information, region information, or introductions. (Indicate in your own E-Connection profile under “About Me” that you can provide any or all of these, even if you are currently in transition.)
  
• To expand your Emory network, send emails to your Emory friends and contacts asking that they, too, join E-Connection. All alumni are included in the system with minimal directory information, and you can email them from within the system.
  
• Join, or start, a group related to your professional interests. As the EAA’s Executive Career Coach Jodie Charlop 82Ox 85C says, “Find your people!” The Emory Alumni Consulting Group (EACG), for example, has more than 135 members, and they use E-Connection to announce opportunities to volunteer or to connect. Online instructions are provided for forming a group, but let us know if you need assistance.
  
• Join, or start, a group related to your personal interests. Connecting with fellow alumni who share your interests will yield both personal and professional connections.

E-Connection also connects you to job postings from within and outside of the community.

Are you on LinkedIn? In addition to joining groups related to your professional interests, join the EAA group, among other Emory groups, as well as groups connected to any other schools you attended. This can substantially increase your pool of contacts, as well as provide group-specific job and event announcements.

Remember that, while online networking tools provide a way to gain an introduction to people in your target industry or profession or at your target company, you must make personal contact to make the most of that connection for both the short-term and for the future.

For tips on making the most of your networking efforts, download podcasts of Coach Chat programs on networking and on job searching. Coach Chat “open forums,” which are not recorded, provide an opportunity to ask questions about networking and other facets of your job search, as well as to provide your own tips to others about what strategies have been successful in your own search.—Carolyn Bregman 82L

Carolyn Bregman is the EAA's director of alumni career services.