July 2011
Geneva College started a Geneva College Alumni and Students group on LinkedIn in October 2010. To date, there are more than 800 alumni and students that have connected with each other.
“If you're not familiar with LinkedIn, I recommend you sign up (it′s free) and try it for yourself,” says Larry Griffith ′85, Geneva College′s Executive Vice President. "It′s a professional business networking website which I've found to be a great resource over the past few years. LinkedIn provides the opportunity to see resumes, job experience, vocational talents, professional recommendations and much more."
Cynthia Corsetti ′93 (MSOL ′01) posted this message to a current Adult Degree Completion Program (ADCP) student on a LinkedIn discussion board: “…as former instructor in the DCP program, I can tell you that the instructors learn as much from the students as the students do from one another. My opportunity to be a mentor for a cohort was a blessing and I can't say enough about the program, or about Geneva. If it weren't for Geneva I would not have the confidence, skills, knowledge, or most importantly the specific values that I have now. Good for you to be in the DCP...and all the best to all the cohorts out there working, going to school, raising families. You all deserve congratulations and I wish you all the best.”
In her own words, here is Cynthia′s LinkedIn story:
Reflections on LinkedIn
By: Cynthia Corsetti ′93, MSOL ′01
My LinkedIn story still surprises me. For several years I had used LinkedIn as nothing more than a cool place to store my contacts. If I met a new person I would invite them to join my network and I would then have an easy way to keep track of them. I was not in the market for a new position, so I didn't complete my profile. At that time, I thought the only reason to make a profile complete was to find a job.
While still employed as a human resources executive, our company hired Kevin Knebl to help teach us how to use LinkedIn effectively. I updated my profile and became a little more active, but I still wasn't sure what it could do for me personally.
That all changed in January 2011 when I made the decision to leave my corporate position and branch out on my own as a management consultant and career coach. I needed to get my business up and running with as little expense as possible. I decided to pull out my notes from my LinkedIn training program and I implemented every tool that Kevin taught me.
First, I realized that LinkedIn is not meant to be a forum for me to sell my services. It is meant to be a forum for me to meet people. I started a blog with tips and ideas for making career transitions, getting along in the workplace, dealing with stress at work and so on. I felt that my blogs added value and I wanted to help people so I posted them on LinkedIn.
Next, I decided to learn more about my connections. I joined a lot of groups. I joined the Geneva College Alumni and Students group, the MSOL group, the Local Connect Pittsburgh Group and countless others. I did this so that I could start to get to know people. I became active in discussions, and I posted on average two times per day.
Soon, I started getting a lot more people wanting to connect with me. People began calling me and asking me questions about what I do and about how I use LinkedIn. In only two months I gained my first three coaching clients, simply based on my interactions on LinkedIn. I never spent a dime on advertising and six months into my new endeavor, I am busier than I ever imagined. I am convinced that LinkedIn is the reason. In fact, 100 percent of my current clients are directly from LinkedIn.
And most importantly, I'm convinced that LinkedIn worked because I had a sincere desire to help others. I tried to send business to people whenever I could. I got to know what my connections were up to, and I always kept my eyes and ears open for ways that I could help them. I became “LinkedIn friends” with my connections and when I needed any service the first place I would look would be to my connections.
Share on LinkedIn, network on LinkedIn and learn on LinkedIn.
The Alumni Relations office invites you to visit www.linkedin.com to join the Geneva College Alumni and Students group on LinkedIn to connect with Cynthia and many others.
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