Jul 19

Being a recent Michigan State University graduate, I have recently discovered the value of a strong alumni network. No matter what it states on that very expensive piece of paper I worked so hard to achieve, without the right connections and experience, very few job opportunities are open to myself and the rest of today’s graduates. And while joining an alumni network is no guarantee of employment, it can definitely open up the door to internship opportunities and other circumstances that help young, inexperienced grads gain much-needed “real world” experience.

I consider myself lucky enough to be a part of an alumni group that spans the nation, and to some degree the world, making it easy to find networking and support wherever life takes me.

The Michigan State University (MSU) Alumni Club of Washtenaw County, my current location, serves as a hub for networking, socializing and general relationship building for all MSU Alumni and supporters living and working in the Washtenaw Area of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, Chelsea and Milan. The main purpose of the group is to support the continued success of Washtenaw citizens and businesses, while also allowing them to become active in their community through networking and activities.

As the month of August approaches the Alumni Club prepares for two of its big events- its First Monday meeting, and Annual Spartan Golf Scramble and BBQ.

First Mondays are social events that bring the Washtenaw branch of MSU’s Alumni Club together on the first Monday of each month. These informal meetings usually start around 6 pm and last as long as people want to stay and network amongst the group. The August meeting will take place on August 2nd at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, located at 720 Norris St. The Corner Brewery is known for its large outdoor beer garden and tasting room. Behind the scenes, it is a production brewery that produces and bottles beer for distribution throughout the state of Michigan.

The Alumni Club’s other big up-coming event is the Spartan Golf Scramble and BBQ. The Spartan Golf Scramble and BBQ is an event that is held each year to raise money for a scholarship endowment fund that benefits Spartans from the Washtenaw Area as they attend MSU. Each year the group looks for avid golfers and die-hard MSU alum to come out and enjoy an afternoon of Spartan fellowship and networking, while supporting future Spartans through financial contributions to the event. The event will include 18 holes of golf on the Lake Forest Golf Club green, with each participate golfing in teams of four. Single players are welcome to sign up for the event and will be placed in a foursome on the day of the outing. All skill levels are welcome to come out and play. The Spartan Golf Scramble and BBQ will be held on August 14th this year.

For more information or to look ahead to more club events, visit the club calendar.

Jul 7

As the phrase “I’m currently in transition” becomes increasingly popular, it is no wonder that sites like indeed.com are garnering more and more attention. Indeed is a site that makes searching for jobs on the web easy… well easier at least.

Indeed.com functions like any other search engine, except that it is specifically for searching want ads and job posting sites. The concept is that users can log into indeed.com and by simply filling in their fields of interest, be given a list of related jobs. “Searchable” fields include salary, title, company, location, job type, and employer/recruiter.

A feature that makes recruiters and headhunters, like Collin LaLonde, recommend indeed.com is the trend capability. By hitting the trend button at the top left corner of the screen, users will see a graph of their chosen field pop-up. The screenshot below shows the graph that was produced for marketing professionals during the year 2009 and 2010. When looking at the graph it seems that marketing jobs were predicted to stay fairly consistent, as far as demand is concerned, throughout the year 2009.

Another feature on indeed.com that is drawing a lot of attention is the online forum. Forums are pages on websites that allow users to post comments, questions and/or concerns; while they also allow users to respond to their fellow users’ posts. This a great way for people to build a network- which is huge when searching for a job, maintain connections, and receive peer feed-back. Making indeed.com an important tool for anyone who is “currently in transition”.

Oct 15

Twitter is a great tool for networking, by using its 140 characters messages you can connect with many people around the globe that can be potentially interesting for your career or even your business. The following ones are some guidelines that will help you to get the most of each tweet:

  • Use every word to make an impact (you only have 140 characters, don’t waste them)
  • Use your real name or last name, your WoW name may be popular among the other dwarfs or orcs, but maybe not so well known for anyone else.
  • Link, link and link again to your site or blog.
  • Use tinyurl, this will allow you to introduce longer web addresses. Also try to use the custom URL option if possible.
  • Be selective with your contacts, you don’t need to be antisocial but there is no need to follow back everyone who adds you, especially if their profile pictures are kind of suspicious (half naked women, etc…).
  • Share anything you think is useful, it may be useful for others and it adds interest to your twitter account.
  • Pimp your twitter account.
  • Keep your profile update, link to your blog.
  • Interact with your followers, comment on their tweets.
  • Try to tweet everyday, don’t let people forget about you!

Hope this little advice help. I’ll see you on Twitter.