Penn Engineering Student Networking Guide

2024

Student Networking Guide ED A B ENGINEERING DEANS’ ADVISORY BOARD

Introduction

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How to use this Guide As a student in Penn Engineering, you are part of one of the most vibrant and innovative communities in the world. Our alumni have a plethora of wisdom and can be an immense resource when it comes to exploring your interests, understanding different careers, and getting your foot in the door. EDAB, in collaboration with the Engineering Alumni Society (EAS), has put together this guide to give you some insights into how you might go about reaching out and maintaining these relationships.

Table of Contents Internal Resources (Penn)

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External Resources

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Building Meaningful Connections

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CONTACT US EMAIL: EDAB@SEAS.UPENN.EDU INSTAGRAM: @EDABPENN

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Internal Resources

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MyPenn is Penn’s centralized hub for current students and alumni to remain connected. It houses the contact details of Penn students past and present, spanning all 4 undergraduate and 12 graduate schools at Penn, encompassing alumni from all over the world. This is an essential resource to connect with alumni, and offers a unique opportunity for you to be mentored by some of the brightest minds in their respective industries.

HOW TO USE MYPENN The tool you’ll likely make use of most is the directory, which contains the details of over 470,000 alumni. You can easily filter on criteria such as class year, school, industry, and country. Click into each individual profile to obtain their contact information.

PRO TIP IDENTIFYING MENTORSHIP Some individuals have designated themselves as being “Available for Mentorship”. These are good people to reach out to if you want to learn about their experiences and what different career paths in different industries might entail!

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PeopleGrove is a platform used by universities worldwide to connect students, alumni, faculty, and staff for career guidance. PeopleGrove provides a trusted network, ensuring that all University of Pennsylvania PeopleGrove members are verified in your community. This platform provides a consolidated and streamlined method for communication.

Searching for alumni, interacting with any member, and attending meetings can all be done through the platform.

HOW TO USE PEOPLEGROVE Built on a premise of mutual support, PeopleGrove brings together a community of

members

connections,

looking

for

mentorship,

meaningful and

advice.

Penn students can expect an invitation to join

the

University

PeopleGrove

of

community

Pennsylvania directly.

The

home page provides direct access to message other members, browse job postings from Penn alumni, and pathways to gain career development skills.

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External Resources

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Linkedin is the largest and potentially most useful networking platform out there when used well, mainly because of the sheer number of alumni that use it.

CREATING YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE To start using Linkedin, we suggest following these steps. First, make/update your profile to make sure it has the most updated information possible - from coursework to awards and work experiences. If you’re just starting out with setting up your profile, here are some resources that may be useful to get your profile set up: How to give your LinkedIn profile a quick update – Career Services | University of Pennsylvania How Do I Create a Good LinkedIn Profile? | LinkedIn Help Next, grow your network by connecting with as many people as possible you can start by adding friends but in general try to add as many people as you can - the bigger your network is the more likely you are to get noticed or find connections at companies you’re interested in.

After setting up your profile, we suggest joining the Penn Engineering Alumni Group - this can be a great way to initiate the conversation with an alumni through a common network and help make it much easier to get a response.

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CONNECTING WITH ALUMNI You can also always try to message alumni directly, though messaging people that aren’t connections requires a Linkedin premium subscription (see the tip below!). We know it can be intimidating to message a stranger, but many alumni are more than willing to help out current students by sharing their experiences, giving insights into interview processes, and so on. It can be beneficial to message many people together rather than just one at a time - typically alumni are very busy and this helps maximize your chances of getting a response quickly.

Whenever you send a Linkedin message, you should typically start these messages by introducing yourself and giving a bit of background about your interests, and then transitioning into asking them whatever you’re looking for, whether it be asking to set up a call, a referral, etc.

Lastly, Linkedin has an excellent newsfeed that can help give updates on when jobs open, what companies are looking for, and so on. We suggest subscribing to any people/firms that you’re looking into so that you can get notifications whenever there is an update.

When used well, Linkedin can be the most powerful tool in your job search!

PRO TIP REQUEST TO CONNECT LinkedIn requires that you have a premium subscription to message some people. They offer a free trial, but you can also get around this by including a short message with your request to connect with them. It won’t be as long as a full message, but provides enough space for you to make your introduction. Use the space wisely!

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Building Meaningful Connections

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Sending the Email Once you’ve decided on the platform you’re going to reach alumni with, the next step is to reach out with a warm introductory message. Give some background information about yourself, and try to find something to connect with the person over (you can try looking at their Linkedin profile for some shared experiences you may have).

After introducing yourself, transition into the body of your message. Be clear about what you’re looking for - whether it be setting up a chat, asking for insights about interviews or the company culture, etc. Feel free to include what drew you to their specific profile. That is, draw on any connections or similarities between the two of you, possibly including a cultural connection, shared previous club, extracurricular interest, or personal background.

Overall, make sure to stay succinct here so that the recipient can quickly understand exactly what it is you are trying to get from the message. If it is a meeting you are after, make it easier for the alum to say yes by directly giving your availability—this will help avoid some of the back-and-forth of scheduling.

Conclude with a sentence or two thanking them for their time in advance— essentially how you would close out any email. Then, all that’s left is to send the message!

Students sometimes find a little difficulty getting responses from some alumni, which is perfectly normal. Don’t feel discouraged if you don’t get an immediate response, alumni are busy as well. Find several potential contacts and reach out to them. Continually check your email for a response, and make sure to respond in a timely manner!

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Sample Email Subject: Request for Mentorship and Guidance Dear Mr. / Ms. [Alumni's Name], I hope this message finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I am currently a [Your Year] student at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in [Your Major]. I came across your profile on LinkedIn and was immediately drawn to the similarities in our academic and professional trajectories. Like you, I am deeply interested in [Shared Interest/Field].

I am writing to seek your valuable insights regarding [Specific Aspect, e.g., interviews, company culture, etc.]. Your experience in [Alumni's Field/Company] is particularly inspiring to me, and I believe your guidance could greatly benefit my career development. If possible, I would love to set up a brief chat to learn from your journey and gain any advice you might be willing to share. I am available [Provide Specific Dates and Times], but I am happy to adjust to your convenience.

Thank you in advance for considering my request and for any time you can spare. I understand how busy schedules can get, and I truly appreciate any guidance you can provide.

Looking forward to the possibility of connecting with you.

Warm regards, [Your Name] [Your Contact Information]

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Setting Up a Coffee Chat Setting up a coffee chat can be a great way to get your questions answered in a timely manner by alumni, and to make a more lasting connection than you might be able to through messages. However, setting up a coffee chat can be intimidating. If you’re trying to set one up, don’t have too many expectations when sending the message many alumni are very busy and simply may not have the time.

Be sure to include your availability up front, and provide plenty of flexibility. The key is to make the process as seamless as possible for alumni to say ‘yes’, and part of this can include being flexible with location, promptly sending Zoom links, and following up Google Calendar invites.

Before going into the chat, have questions prepared and know what exactly it is you’re looking for - it’s up to you to guide the conversation however you want. After the chat, always follow-up thanking them again —this helps leave a better impression and helps keep the line of communication open should you want to speak to them again.

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