Contacting Emerson AlumniNote: LinkedIn makes changes often; these instructions may not be perfect if changes are made!

Step-by-step guides for locating and contacting Emerson Alumni through online resources.

Methods for Finding Alumni

Mutual Connections

If someone is a second-degree contact, see what contacts you have in

common. Is there anyone you could email asking you if they would introduce you to this person for an informational interview?

Profile Information

Check the person’s profile – they may list their email address, website, or elsewhere where you can find their

contact information (check first under the “Contact info” and “Advice for contacting..”

sections). Quite often, you can find an email address and/or someone you know in common who may be able

to help you.

Common Groups

If the person is tagged as “GROUP” next to their name, it

means you have a group incommon with them. Check their profile to see if their groups are listed, which

could save you some time. If groups are listed, visit those groups and go to step #2. If groups re not listed, visit the most

relevant groups (probably Emerson groups) and follow instructions

under step #2.

1. Using the Advanced Search Feature

• Enter “Emerson” as the school; search for additional criteria based on what you are looking for such as company name, title, or location.

• You will be displayed with a list of people matching your search – see how you are connected.

Three ways to look someone up using the

Advanced Search Feature

Contacting Emerson Alumni2. Using your Groups, primarily Emerson groups (ie: Emerson College Alumni Association Group, Emerson College Networking Group, Emerson VMA group, etc)

• Hover over “Interests” and select “Groups” to be taken to the Groups page. Click “My Groups” to see your groups.

• Select the group you are looking for, ie: Emerson College major of alumni groups.

• Hover over the number of members, and click.

• A list of group members will be displayed, which you can scroll through. As long as someone has not opted out of receiving messages from group members, if you hover to the right of the person’s name, title, and headshot, an envelope will appear. If you click it, you will be taken to a page where you can compose a message.

• Note: LinkedIn has recently changed their Groups feature, and the problem with the new groups is that you can no longer search among group members. Members are listed in a fairly random order, so this option may prove to take longer to find people.

3. Using LinkedIn’s Alumni Feature

• This feature is great for general career research as well as potentially locating alumni you maywish to contact.

• Simply click on the “Find Alumni” dropdown under the “My Network” tab.

Step-by-step guides for locating and contacting Emerson Alumni through online resources.

Contacting Emerson Alumni• Select different categories to see alumni who meet the criteria you’ve chosen.

• Follow the steps outlined under parts 1 or 2 to contact alumni of interest.

4. Using Emerson Connections (via LionHire):

• Request access to Emerson Connections, if you haven’t already: http://www.emerson.edu/student-life/careers-internships/emerson-connections

• Once you receive verification, login to your LionHire account and click the “Emerson Connections” tab in the toolbar.

• Search for contacts through various criteria using the “advanced search”

Step-by-step guides for locating and contacting Emerson Alumni through online resources.

Contacting Emerson Alumni• Contact directly through LionHire via the “Contact Mentor” button at the top of the screen when viewing a person’s profile; message will be sent to the person’s email, and if they reply, you will receive it on the email address you have saved to LionHire (see “My Profile” section to verify what that is, typically your Emerson email address).

• Can contact up to 5 people per month.

5. How to reach out: when you have found an emailaddress or a message option

• Compose a message introducing yourself and asking if the person may be able to speak with you about (what you wish to learn). Be specific – let them know what you have questions about – their company, career path, etc. and that you’re just asking for about 20 minutes of their time. Make sure to also let them know how you know them, even if it’s simply that they’re an Emerson Alumna/us and you are graduating/graduated. Make sure to thank them. Include your email address if you’d like.

6. How to reach out: option of using a personalized LinkedIn Connection request

• This option is not ideal, as the goal is to add people to your network that you already know. However, it can work if you are strategic about what you say in the connection request.

• First, always make sure to visit a person’s profile before clicking “connect.” This is the onlyway to be provided with a box to write a personalized message to add to your connectionrequest.

• LinkedIn provides up to 300 characters in the message box. Make sure you follow the criteriafor messages listed in step 5.

If you find the name of an

alumnus/a whom you want to speak with but

cannot find their contact information through the methods above, contact the Alumni office

at alumni@emerson.edu and they may be able to

contact the person on your behalf.

For help with networking etiquette

and conducting informational interviews, visit

the Resource Library on LionHire (link in left toolbar). There are helpful guides on these topics

and many others in the “Job Search Resources”

folder.

Aditional Advice

Step-by-step guides for locating and contacting Emerson Alumni through online resources.