LinkedIn to Get In: embedding learning activities to support student career development through online professional networking

The extent to which individuals interact online has expanded in recent years, with online networking playing a major aspect of most people’s lives. With employers relying on online searches when evaluating job candidates, the development of a positive professional online presence has become an important aspect in most sectors and potentially a challenge for students preparing to enter the workplace. LinkedIn is a globally recognized networking site, enabling individuals to interact within a professional environment. However, it remains uncertain whether students are aware of its benefits and are confident in using it. Alongside other Life Science degree programmes at the University of Glasgow, staff within the Microbiology and Immunology programmes initiated closed LinkedIn groups, which were limited to staff and current or former students of the relevant degree. The aim of these groups was to promote student awareness of the diversity of career roles available post-university and enable students to network in their chosen field, as levels of student engagement with this platform and how it can be utilized by students for professional networking remained unclear. As part of our ‘Linked to Get In’ workshop, students connected and conducted an interview with an alumnus of their degree, allowing them to develop their networking skills with professionals in their field and enabling exploration of career prospects, prior to presenting their findings to their peers. Confidence in using LinkedIn for networking increased following this session, with all students agreeing that the inclusion of such a workshop in the curriculum is useful for exploring employability options. Moreover, students had increased awareness of the wider benefits the platform had to offer, and it was not only useful for job searching. Our findings show that LinkedIn has the potential for being an effective platform to enable undergraduate students to engage with professionals in their discipline, with the closed format providing a trusted space for students to enhance their networking and communication skills, whilst exploring the career diversity open to them.