How to contact alumni on LinkedIn

How do you find alumni on LinkedIn?

Open your school's LinkedIn page and its Alumni tab: it lists people who studied there, and you can narrow them by where they work, what they do and where they live. You can also search people with your school's name and a company name.

• Filter by company, then by role, to find people doing the job you want.
• Look for people a few years out of school: close enough to remember, far enough to know.
• Check your program, club or team too: a shared course or society is a closer tie than the school alone.
• Before you write, note in one line why this person, so the message is clearly for them.

What should a connection note to an alum say?

One or two sentences: the school you share, what you are curious about, and no ask yet. LinkedIn limits how long a connection note can be, so every word has to earn its place.

• Open with the school, and the program or year if you share it.
• Name their field or company, so it reads as written for them.
• End without an ask: "Happy to connect!" is enough.
• Use their first name, and check its spelling.
• Example: "Hi [Name], I'm studying [subject] at [School], where you studied too. I'd love to hear how you got into [field] at [Company]. Happy to connect!"

What do you send after they accept?

A short thank-you and one small ask: usually 20 minutes to hear about their path, or a single question they can answer in a message. Make it easy to say yes and easy to say no.

• Thank them for connecting.
• Say in one line where you are: finishing a degree, choosing between two roles, applying in their field.
• Ask for one thing: 20 minutes, or one specific question.
• Give an easy out, such as "No problem if now is busy."

What should you not ask alumni for?

Not a job, a referral, an opening or a review of your resume in your first messages. Those are big favors from a stranger, and asking early usually ends the conversation. Ask about their path; if they want to help further, they will offer.

• No "Are you hiring?" or "Can you refer me?"
• No resume attached to the first message.
• No long life story: one line about you is enough.
• No copy-paste blast to every alum at one company. Write to one or two people at a time.
• No chain of reminders: one after about a week, then move on.

When is it OK to talk about a referral?

After a real conversation, and usually when they bring it up. If a role opens that fits you, tell them you applied and thank them for their help. That leaves room for them to put in a word without being asked.

• Keep them posted after each step you take on their advice.
• When you apply at their company, say so in a short message.
• If they offer to refer you, send exactly what they need: the role, its link and your resume.

How do you keep track of alumni conversations?

In one list: who they are, where they studied, what you talked about and when to write next. Without it, a good conversation goes quiet and you lose the thread.

• In JobMentis, each contact card records where the person studied. When it matches your resume, mark them as alumni and filter your list by it.
• Log each conversation, so the next step comes back to you.
• Note one thing they said, for your thank-you and your next update.

Entry-level postings

Should you apply if you don't meet every requirement?

Apply when you meet the required items. On an entry-level posting, the preferred list describes the ideal hire, and employers rarely expect a graduate to have all of it. Cover every required item, show the preferred ones you have, and say how you would learn the rest.

What is the difference between required and preferred on a job posting?

Required items, often under "requirements", "must have" or "you have", are the ones an employer screens on: a degree in a field, a language, a work permit, sometimes a license. Preferred items, under "nice to have", "a plus" or "bonus", describe the ideal hire. An entry-level employer expects to teach many of them, especially tools, software and internal processes.

A junior posting asks for 1 to 2 years of experience. Should I still apply?

Usually, yes, if you meet the other required items. On an entry-level posting, a year or two of experience is often a wish rather than a filter, and internships, co-ops, part-time work and projects count toward it. When a junior title asks for five years or more, the title and the requirements disagree, and your time is usually better spent on another posting.

Can an alum tell me whether to apply when I miss a requirement?

Often, yes. Someone hired into the same team knows which requirements are screened and which are wishes. Ask it as a general question, such as "Which of these do new hires usually learn on the job?", rather than asking them to judge your own application.

When you add a posting to the JobMentis job tracker during a first job search, it sorts the requirements into Required, Preferred and Often learned on the job, and shows a must-have that only asks for a year or two of experience as preferred, with a note that says why.