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[Ed. note: This belongs to our series of posts featuring tips for recent grads from LinkedIn users. Dr. Susan Bernstein is an expert on career reinvention and renewal. As the founder of Work from Within , she helps high-achieving professionals to get clear and confident about their career direction through her speaking, writing, and coaching.]

One of the best pieces of career advice I ever received was, “Stop looking for a job. Start looking to meet people.”

During my first year in the MBA program at UC Berkeley, I was at an informal “consumption function,” our ritual Friday afternoon drinking in the courtyard. I met the wife of one of my classmates and discovered that we shared an interest in applying technology to human resources issues. She told me that her group at Intel wanted to assess different technologies, but no one had the time for such analytical work. I suggested an approach to the research, and she said, “Hey, maybe we could make this your summer internship!” I was thrilled. All of Intel’s posted summer internships were in the finance function, so I hadn’t even considered applying to the company. I’d uncovered an unforeseen positive opportunity.

[Ed. note: This belongs to our series of posts featuring tips for recent grads from LinkedIn users. Elizabeth Allen is associate director of alumni relations at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where she manages the Caltech Alumni LinkedIn group as well as other online networking resources for alumni.]

As the manager for the Caltech Alumni group on LinkedIn, all requests to join the group go through me. Most of the (legitimate) requests come from alumni, but current students are eligible to join the group too. Though it might seem strange to include students in a group with “alumni” in the title, creating opportunities for students and alumni to interact is beneficial to the members of the group as a whole.

Students have the same group rights and privileges as alumni: they can post discussion topics, perform searches, and make connections. Recently, a student posted a request to the group; she was seeking advice regarding a non-profit she’s involved with. An alumnus responded with some resources for her to explore. In examples like this one, students take advantage of the tools and become active members of the alumni community before they graduate. They establish a personal brand, learn about online networking, and make individual connections – connections they can use after they graduate, to find a job, seek advice on a business plan, or research potential employers.

[Ed. note: This belongs to our series of posts featuring tips for recent grads from LinkedIn users. Patricia Pasick is a family psychologist and expert on families in transition. She authored Almost Grown (W. W. Norton, 1998), and writes frequently on young adults and families. Here are some of her tips for newly graduating students, and their parents.]

Tips for graduates:

1. Swallow your well-earned pride and ask parents and relatives to share their networks. It doesn’t mean you haven’t left the nest. Interviews are landed through connections.

[Ed. note: This belongs to our series of posts featuring tips for recent grads from LinkedIn users. Donald Wilkes and Viola Hamilton-Wilkes are job search experts with years of experience interviewing and hiring. They are authors of a Teen Guide Job Search book, which is also available in an audio version. You can check out their earlier post on helping your teen find a job without being a nag here]

No matter what your age, searching for a job is a challenge.  But like anything, when you know what to do and how to do it, suddenly it’s easier!

Begin your job search by looking for work you’ll enjoy.  For example, ask yourself questions, like: