The Office of Career Services and Pre-Professional Programs of Alcorn State University (ASU) hosted a Career Fair, Etiquette, LinkedIn, and Networking seminar on Thursday, February 11th, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the James L. Bolden Student Union Ballroom.
The seminar began with Dr. Carolyn Davis, Director of Career Services, establishing the importance of students using LinkedIn and Grow with Google. Among 19 other colleges, Alcorn was selected for the Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program for the 2020-21 academic school year. Since networking is essential to expanding professional opportunities, the seminar addressed preparation and tips on how to successfully communicate, including in-person, phone, remote and virtual interviews and tips for prosperous video and virtual communications. The main topic of the workshop was “Collaborate, Meet, and Work Remotely.” The guest speaker was Kim Hooper who is a Regional Loss Prevention manager and graduate of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
Hooper stressed the dynamics of using LinkedIn which gives students the opportunity to network. According to statistics, 9 out of 10 companies recruit from the platform LinkedIn. Hooper emphasized several key points for building a profile on the site, which included displaying personal skills, college degrees, volunteer and work experiences, as well as having a professional headshot on display as a person’s profile picture. Having the information was very critical for students who desire to boost their career opportunities. Hooper also introduced a new module of LinkedIn called the “alumni tool” which gives students access to explore the alumni networks of the university. “Building your brand and getting hired is the goal with using LinkedIn,” stated Hooper. Students who attended the workshop were given a free ticket to the Professional Snapshot Event which will be held on February 24th from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm in classrooms 7 and 8 in the Campus Union.
For more information on Grow with Google or upcoming events hosted by Career Services, contact Dr. Davis at (601) 877-6246 or email at cadavis@alcorn.edu.