How a LinkedIn Groups conversation led to an internship

Henric Haldeborg[Ed note: This is the last in a series of posts from our users as part of Grad Guides seek week. Henric Haldeborg is a JD and MPA student at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio. By years end, he’ll leave the comforts of academic abstraction for the harsh realities of gainful employment to somewhere warm, if he has anything to say about it]

So, I’ve been asked to write a few lines about how I use LinkedIn to search for jobs and internships. I’ll start with an example straight out of reality:

Back in the beginning of the year, I took an interim class in mediation, where the professor mentioned that he had a LinkedIn group devoted to mediation and arbitration that he would be happy to let any interested students join. Of course, I bit immediately. We got to talking in class and before I knew it I had landed a clerkship (legalese for internship) with the idea that it will turn into a full time, permanent position once I'm done with school in December.

Of course, I’m not saying that by you joining groups on LinkedIn employers will magically come out of the woodwork to offer you fancy positions at their firms. What I am saying is that in your quest for that elusive foot in the door you want to be where the right people are. Pick your groups and join in on the fun (or start some of your own). Show interest, initiative, and a willingness to learn. Before you know it, the right people (or people who know the right people) will notice.