The world’s largest online professional network, LinkedIn, is designed to help its users establish professional connections. Katherine Commale ’23, said the connections that she made on LinkedIn resulted in her securing a full-time job after graduation.
When Commale was searching for full-time job opportunities, she noticed that there was a LinkedIn connection between a staff member from the Career Center, and a former student from St. Joe’s who currently works at Veeva Systems, the company she wanted to apply to. The Career Center made an introduction to connect the St. Joe’s alum and Commale.
“I swear, if it was not for the introduction that the Career Center made, I don’t know if I would have gotten the job,” Commale said.
Making connections with employers plays a major role in the types of jobs that become available, but being able to sell yourself to an employer and making yourself marketable plays a big role, too. One of the best ways to present yourself to potential employers is to develop a personal brand, according to Scott Rappaport, associate director of the Career Center.
“It comes down to your core values, abilities, skills that you want to make sure you’re putting forward to others,” Rappaport said.
When considering what employers are looking for in a student, it is not necessarily the technical skills that are required for a specific job, but more of the basic skills you would learn by being a student, according to Rappaport.
“Most employers are good with teaching you their business,” said Rappaport. “But what they don’t want to teach an incoming, new professional is things like how to write an email, how to act professionally, how to have connections with others.”
Once you have the soft skills like writing a proper email and understanding professional work etiquette, it’s important to work on presenting yourself to an employer. This can begin with perfecting your resume as Chad Yannazzone ’23 learned when he utilized the Career Center for resume assistance.
“It’s anything that you can do to make yourself stand out,” Yannazzone said. “Any little detail to make you stand out from everybody else.”
Rappaport said it’s important to take advantage of the opportunities that St. Joe’s has, especially if they are able to make a connection with a potential employer. But it all comes down to how you market yourself after an introduction, like Commale was given.
“Telling a story through your resume, LinkedIn, or past experiences can be a very useful way to differentiate yourself and help you stand out,” Commale said.
