Use LinkedIn to help you narrow your career direction

Creating Warm Connections on LinkedIn

Start with the Alumni Search Tool feature

  1. Filter by school and look for alums of both La Follette and UW in general (as well as your undergrad institution if it was not UW)
  2. Filter for alumni and research those working in your desired career path, for your dream employer, and/or ideal location or just run a search based on organization (and title if you know one – but just org is fine) for alums working at your dream employer
    • If your search yields LFS alums, reach out to the Career Director to see if we have their personal email address – you will always get a better response if you email them off LinkedIn
    • If they are L&S alums but not LFS alums, try the SuccessWorks tool to contact them off LinkedIn
    • If they are from another school at UW or have no connection to UW (or we do not have contact information for them)
      • Send a personalized connection request via LinkedIn (see text suggestions below)
      • If you run out of free personalized invites to send due to LinkedIn’s limits, here’s a great workaround
  3. Once connected to someone, ask them questions about what their role is like. Try the informational interviewing guide for ideas
  4. Do this for at least three contacts in your desired path
  5. Compare what the contacts told you to your strengths and weaknesses
    • Would I love and be great at doing what this role entails?
    • Is there anything about this role that would drive me crazy?
  6. Settle on 1-2 roles to focus on

Good afternoon Contact’s Name –

I came across your profile on LinkedIn and, as a fellow La Follette/UW/other school grad, I’d be thrilled to learn about how you got to be a title/role at organization.. Is there any chance you’d have 15 minutes to chat next week? I’d love to get your advice!

Sincerely,

Your name

Good afternoon Contact’s Name –

I am earning a public policy degree at the La Follette School at UW – Madison, and came across your profile while researching my top dream employers. I’d be thrilled to learn about how you got to be a title/role at organization.  Is there any chance you might have 10-15 minutes to chat via phone or Zoom sometime soon? I’d love to get your advice!

Sincerely,

Your name

Another way to search

  1. Search for an organization where you’d like to work 
  2. Review all the 2nd degree connections that come up until you find one you’d like to connect with
  3. Click the name of any mutual connection (that person is a 1st degree with the person you want to connect with)
  4. Go to your 1st degree’s profile and snag their email address from the MORE section
    1. Send them a message like the one below
    2. Have a discussion like the one below with the 2nd degree person

Hi 1stdegree name–

Would you mind introducing me to 2nddegree name? I’m interested in learning more about X while still deciding on my post La Follette career path and want to see if they can share some ideas and wisdom.

If you’re willing to do so, I’ve included a message below that you can forward over to them on my behalf. Just remove this part of the email first.

Thanks so much!
Your Name

<<<Message to forward on your behalf>>>

Hi 2nddegree name–

I recently came across your profile on LinkedIn and was fascinated by all the awesome things you’ve done. In particular, I’d love to learn about your experience with whatever it is you want to know, as I’m trying to find out if that might be an area for me to go into when I graduate.

I know you must be incredibly busy right now. But if you have even 15 minutes to chat via cell or Zoom in the next few weeks, just let me know as I’d love to learn from your expertise!

Thanks for considering!!!
Your Name

Also see the informational interview guide

  • Opener: It’s great to connect with you via NAME – thanks for making the time! I’d love to learn about your experience at ORGANIZATION. What led you to work there? What’s kept you there over time? What’s it like on the inside – and specifically as a ROLE?
  • Closer: Thanks so much for sharing that insider perspective! It honestly sounds like a perfect fit for the kind of work I want to do – and the kind that I’m good at. Knowing that referrals are often the best way in, would you ever be open to putting one in for me? No worries if not! (only ask after creating rapport, but don’t be too shy to ask!)

Use LI to investigate organizations before you commit by talking to their “exes”

After speaking with alums and other contacts, do your own deep dive on the organization. Maybe something one of them said struck a particular chord with you (e.g., they were working 80 hours/week and you’re about to take on new family responsibilities), or maybe you just want to be sure you are getting a complete picture

  • Go to People Search and click “All Filters” to do a background check on the company by:
    • Entering the organization name into “Past Companies”
    • Setting the Title and School fields to your own to find someone who can speak to your precise circumstances
    • Reach out to them as noted above, or try to find their work email on Hunter.io
    • Just say that you noticed that they used to work at organization name and would love to get their perspective before you apply for a job/internship or accept an offer with organization name
  • And then ask them these questions
    • Why did you leave?
    • Would you ever work there again?