Getting started on LinkedIn for the class of 1964

1. Getting Started on LinkedIn
• LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking sit used for professional and social
networking. The Alumnae Association hosts a group on LinkedIn specifically for
Mount Holyoke alumnae and students to connect, engage, and network.
• How to join: Much like Facebook, joining LinkedIn is very easy. Simply visit the LinkedIn
homepage and you will be prompted with instructions.Click here for an overview of LinkedIn.
• Creating a profile: Your LinkedIn “profile” gives information about your professional life, such as
past and current employers, special skills, interests, hobbies, volunteer work, and more.
• How to use: Much like you have “friends” in Facebook, you have “contacts” in LinkedIn. These
may be friends, current or former coworkers, industry acquaintances, etc. You must either invite
someone to be a “contact,” or they must invite you.

2. Individual Pro le
MHC Group
5,026 members
Subgroup
MBAs
Subgroup
Entrepreneurs
Subgroup
Frances Perkins
Subgroup
Bridge Class of
1964 and 2014
& Friends
Acquaintances
Colleagues
Classmates
Contains resume, career objectives,
where you’re lived, worked, and often
traveled, key skills, honors/awards,
volunteer positions, etc.
Businesses
connections
Join groups to discuss ideas
Overview
Visual Overview

3. Go to www.linkedin.com.
Setting up an Account

4. LinkedIn will ask you a series of questions to get you started. You may SKIP
any question that you don’t want to answer.
• By entering your email password, LinkedIn will compare your email contacts with people who have
profiles so that you can “connect” with them. Again, you can skip anything you don’t want to
do.
SKIP

5. LinkedIn will next prompt you to enter a little information about yourself that will
appear on your profile. It is perfectly acceptable to put retired or “former” in the
job title section. In the company field you can again put “retired,” the last
company at which you worked, or the industry in which you worked.

6. LinkedIn will next ask you to confirm your email address. Simply login
to your email and click on the link provided to activate your account.
Or a popup window may appear asking for your email password. This
is to protect your privacy by making sure that you are using a
legitimate email account.

7. LinkedIn will also suggest people that you may know so that you can connect
with them. You may skip this step or select the people that you would like to
connect with and click “Add Connections” at the bottom.
Select anyone you’d like to connect with here

8. LinkedIn will ask if you want to share your new profile on Twitter or
Facebook, again you may skip.

9. LinkedIn is a free service but you can upgrade to a premium account if you
wish. If not click “skip,” or choose the free Basic Account.
Choose Basic (free) or Skip and it will automatically choose basic for you

10. Next, LinkedIn will walk you through a series of questions to help you fill out
your profile. Again, you can “Skip” any questions you don’t want to answer
or don’t want on your profile. We recommend filling in as much information
as possible as well as including a photo of yourself.

11. If you ever need to revise or add information to your profile simply hover
over the “Profile” button at the top and click the drop down “Edit Profile.” You
will then see small pencil icons. Click these icons or the prompts, such as “+
Add a Summary” to edit. You do not have to fill in anything you do not want
to.
Click to edit the sections
Click first to be able to edit

12. http://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorrscott
What information does a pro le contain?
Click here to see
what a full pro le
looks like.
• Skills
• Professional interests
• Current and past
employment (which indicates
where people live and have lived)
• Volunteer experience
• Hobbies
• Education
• Areas of expertise
• Honors and awards
You may visit www.linkedin.com/in/taylorrscott to
see what a full profile looks like.

13. You may change your privacy settings, how many emails (if
any) you’d like to receive from LinkedIn, and your account
settings by hovering over your image in the top right corner
and clicking “Privacy and Settings.”
Controlling your Account

14. You will be taken to this screen where you can control all of your settings.
Click on each tab to see what you
can manage/change. If you ever
want to delete your account, click
the “Account” tab and then “Close
your Account.”

15. Navigating LinkedIn
Click the envelope to see and
send private messages to your
contacts, much like an email
message.
When the flag turns red click it to see
any notifications that LinkedIn has
for you, such as new connections
you’ve made.
When the person is red
this means someone
wants to connect with
you. Click to see who and
decide if you’d like to
accept their connection
invitation.

16. Joining a LinkedIn Group.
Help others
nd
employment/
internships
and vice-versa
Network
personally
and
professionally
Exchange
ideas and
seek advice
Find mentors
or guidance
What’s the Point of a LinkedIn Group?Joining a LinkedIn Group

17. What does a discussion in a group look like?
Someone poses a ques on or
discussion topic. You don’t have
to respond if it doesn’t apply to
you. Those who do want to
respond post a comment.
These comments are hidden unless you click
on them and then they expand so you can read
them. See the next page to read the advice
given to her via comments.

19. How to join a group
Simply type in a keyword or the name of the group you’d like to join in the
search bar. Our group name is “Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke
College”

20. Our group profile will appear. You must click the yellow button that says,
“Join Group.” We will then verify that you are an alumna through our
database and you will be notified when we accept you into the group. This
may take a day or two.

21. Once you are accepted into our group, or any other groups, you may
navigate to them by hovering over “Interests” at the top and clicking
“Groups”

22. Once you are in the Alumnae Association group, this is what it will look like.
You may post discussions within the main group, in addition to joining the
Bridges 1964-2014 “subgroup.”
Navigate to the subgroup by clicking “More” and then “Subgroups”

23. The list of the Alumnae Association’s subgroups will appear. Click on “Join this
subgroup” above “Mount Holyoke Bridge Group: 1964 and 2014.” The process is
the same as joining the main group. You will have to wait to be approved so that
we can make sure you are either from the class of 1964 or 2014.

24. Once you are part of the subgroup you may start a discussion.

25. Or view everyone who is a member. Yet, in order to view a member’s full profile page
you have to add them as a “Connection.”
Simply hover over their name and to the right, click “Invite to connect.” You may also
click on their name. Doing this will take you to a new page where you will see a large
blue button that says “Connect.” Once they approve your invitation to connect you can
both view each other’s profiles and send each other private messages.
We suggest connecting with as many group members as possible so that you can view
and search shared interests, professions, etc.

26. Tips for Participating
in the Subgroup
1. Start by introducing yourself through a discussion. Tell a little about your
prior profession, your interests, and how you’d like to engage with the
group, i.e. interested in mentoring students, answering questions about
the industry in which you worked, helping students find internships, etc.
2. Keep up the discussion! When someone posts something interesting or
relevant to you, make sure to comment on it. Respond in a supportive
way and ask questions to keep up the engagement.
3. Post interesting articles or links that you think would benefit the group.
4. “Connect” with all of the students that are part of the subgroup so that
you can learn more about them through their profiles and engage with
them through discussions and private messaging.

27. How to search for people
with shared interests.
Hover over the icon to the left of the search bar and click
people. Then click “Advanced.”

28. You will come to this screen. You can search only those
members of the Bridge group. Using “Keywords” or other
fields you can search for members in a certain industry,
with certain hobbies or interests, or in certain areas of the
country.