Conceptualizing Alumni Networking via LinkedIn as a Cultural Script
1:10 PM – 1:30 PM • 20 Minute Runtime • Room 220
Connecting with alumni from their program via online platforms like LinkedIn can be a valuable and inclusive source of information and support for students preparing to transition from college to the workforce. At the same time, networking via LinkedIn can be intimidating and confusing to students: they may not know how to identify what types of information and support they can obtain from networking with alumni, how to find alumni with whom to connect, nor what to say when they reach out to these alumni to connect. Faculty can provide valuable insights and instruction to students on why and how to network with alumni in a discipline-specific and culturally-sensitive way. In this session, participants will learn to adapt the CCWT’s Career Readiness Across the Curriculum (CRxC) approach to alumni networking via LinkedIn by conceptualizing alumni networking as a cultural script. They will work on developing a cultural script for alumni networking that is specific to their discipline, and begin to design active learning experiences for their students to engage with and practice the script. Amy will instruct participants on how to use the LinkedIn alumni search tool, including using filters and keywords, examining the way that race/ethnicity, gender, class, and other identities influence the cultural script.
Amy Tully Eriksson
Lecturer and Internship Coordinator • Santa Clara University