Your Networking Hub

Building a strong professional network is one of the most effective ways to advance your career. At St. Cloud State’s Career Center, we provide strategies and resources to help you connect with industry professionals, alumni, and peers. From leveraging LinkedIn to attending career fairs and informational interviews, networking opens doors to opportunities and insights that can shape your future success.

On this page, we will cover: 

  • Strong introductions
  • Informational Interviews
  • Job Shadowing
  • Leveraging LinkedIn

Let's network!

Watch additional Networking videos

Tools for a Powerful Introduction

Conducting an Informational Interview

Informational interviews are a low-pressure way to explore a career field or learn about a specific organization. They give you the opportunity to ask questions, gain insider perspectives, and build valuable connections that may open doors to future opportunities. Ready to begin? Check out these short videos on informational interviewing and take your first step toward growing your professional network.

 

Start with a plan

  • Assess your skills and interests. Use our career assessment to discover your strengths and preferences.
  • Explore career options. Access information on hundreds of career fields and job titles to find occupations that match your interests.
  • Identify professionals in your target field. Review your personal, school, and business networks to create a list of contacts for informational interviews.

Set up an Appointment

  • Reach out and explain your interest in your career field. Clarify that you're seeking information - not a job interview.
  • Be genuine and respectful of their time. Suggest a brief meeting (about 30 minutes) or offer alternatives like lunch or a quick phone call.
  • If they're unavailable, ask for referrals to others in the field.

Prepare for the Interview

  • Research the organization thoroughly - review annual reports, brochures, and online resources.
  • Bring a polished résumé (have it reviewed by a Career Center staff member).
  • Prepare and practice your questions.
  • Dress professionally.

During the Interview

  • Stay focused on learning, not job seeking. Share your strengths and interests subtly.
  • Ask for additional contacts to expand your network.

After the Interview

  • Send a thank-you letter promptly.
  • Follow up by keeping detailed notes and contacting referrals to continue building your network.

Tailor these questions to your situation.

About the Job

  • What does a typical day or week look like?
  • What skills are most important for success?
  • What do you find most rewarding and most challenging?

Getting Started

  • What education, training, or experience is needed?
  • How valuable are internships, volunteer work, or related jobs? 
  • If you were hiring, what matters most - education, experience, skills, or personal qualities?

Industry Outlook

  • Who hires for this type of work and where are the jobs?
  • How do people usually find these positions?
  • What is the salary range and common benefits?
  • What does the future look like for this career?

Lifestyle & Culture

  • What is the work-life balance like?
  • How flexible are hours, dress, and location?
  • What is the company culture?

Advice

  • How does my background fit this field?
  • What experiences would you recommend?
  • If you were starting over, what would you do differently?
  • Who else should I talk to? May I use your name as a referral?

Job Shadowing

A job shadow is a short, hands-on learning experience where you observe a professional at work. You'll see their daily tasks, ask questions, and learn how their role connects to your career goals.

Why Do a Job Shadow?
  • Explore career interests and options.
  • Observe real-world routines and environments.
  • Learn the skills and education needed for specific jobs.
  • Practice communication and networking with professionals.
  • Understand how school learning applies to the workplace.
  • Build connections that can help with future opportunities. 

What to Expect

  • Watch how employees use knowledge and technology on the job.
  • Learn about job duties, responsibilities, and benefits.
  • Discover education and skills required for success.
  • Explore new career ideas and workplace cultures.
  • See how learning and earning are connected.

Expand Your Network with LinkedIn

Want to add a million people to your network? You can do that with LinkedIn!

Watch LinkedIn help videos to help build your brand!

LinkedIn is the world's largest professional networking platform, designed to help you build connections, showcase your skills, and explore career opportunities.

Your LinkedIn profile is your gateway to more than 75,000 St. Cloud State University alumni and more than 800 million professionals across 200+ countries and territories. A strong profile can help you stand out to employers, grow your network, and discover jobs and internships tailored to your goals.

Set up your profile

  • Use a professional photo.
  • Write a keyword-rich headline and summary to highlight your skills and goals.
  • Add experience - include jobs, internships, and relevant unpaid roles.
  • Customize your profile URL with your name.
  • Include contact info and social links for each outreach.
  • Set Job Preferences to show you're open to opportunities.

Searching on LinkedIn

  • Use the main search bar (top left) to find people, companies, groups, schools, etc. For example, try searching "St. Cloud State." 
  • Filter your results by clicking People, Jobs, Companies, Groups under the search bar.
  • Refine further using filters on the right - such as connection level, keywords, location, company, or industry.
  • Leverage alumni connections: After exploring your personal network, search "St. Cloud State" to find alumni. They're often the most willing to respond and share advice.

Using the Alumni Tool

The Alumni Tool is one of the best ways to find graduates with your major, see where they work, and learn from their career paths.

  • In the Search Box, type "St. Cloud State University" and select the school from the results.
  • On the school's LinkedIn page, click the Alumni tab in the left-hand menu.
  • Use the filters to explore alumni by location, industry, company, graduation year, field of study, and skill.
  • Click show more within each category to see additional options.
  • Combine filters to narrow your search and identify alumni most relevant to your goals.

Expand Your Network

  • Search for “Lonny Gulden”, a St. Cloud State alumni and LinkedIn expert.
  • Send a personalized connection request mentioning you're an SCSU student.

Join Groups

Groups are powerful - sharing a group lets you message members directly without being connected.

  • Search for "St. Cloud State" in the main search bar and select Groups to see all related groups.
  • Join any that apply, especially the St. Cloud State University Alumni Group.
  • Explore profiles of professionals in you target companies or industries and join their groups.
  • Use shared groups to reach out and build connections.

Ask for an Introduction

  • Search for people at a company or in a role that interests you.
  • For 2nd degree connections:
    • Open their profile and click Mutual Connections.
    • Choose the connection you know best, click their name, then Message.
    • Ask if they'd be willing to introduce you. Include the full name of the person you want to connect with.
    • Follow up based on the response

Send a Connection Request

  • You can request to connect with anyone, but many people prefer to connect with those they know.
  • To improve your chances:
    • Add a profile photo - most people won't connect without one.
    • From search results, click Connect next to the person's name.
    • Click Add a Note and personalize your message (e.g., mention you're a student seeking advice.)

Contact Through Shared Groups

  • Check the person's profile under Interests for Groups.
  • Join a group they belong to.
  • Once accepted:
    • Open the group, click Members, and search for their name.
    • Click Message and send a note.

What To Say

  • Hi, my name is [Name]. I'm a student at SCSU graduating in [Month] with a major in [Major]. My goal is to [Career Goal]. 
    I noticed you're a St. Cloud State alum working in [Industry/Company].
    I'd appreciate any advice you can share. If you were me and wanted to [Goal], what would you do?

If they respond, ask follow-up questions like:

  • Where would you look for opportunities?
  • Who would you contact?

Profile Settings

  • Review Settings & Privacy under Me and Settings.
  • Ensure your photo and key details are visible to "Everyone" for maximum reach (except third-party advertisers). 

Show Interest in Companies

  • On a company's LinkedIn page, click I'm interested in the About section.
  • Recruiters often filter candidates by this signal.

Explore Key Features

  • Use the Work menu to access:
    • Jobs for openings
    • Groups for networking
    • LinkedIn Learning for skill-building
  • Other tools like advertising or posting jobs are optional for most students.