By Camille McDougald
The first Indigenous Power Hour of the semester gave students the opportunity to explore the world of networking at “Let’s Level Up Your LinkedIn,” hosted by The American Indian Heritage Center. The event was dedicated to showing students how to successfully create a LinkedIn account and transform it to give students a leg up for internships and career opportunities.
The session was held on Thursday, Sept. 7, led by Dr. Kenneth L. Bowen, a renowned indigenous educational leader, business owner, and consultant.
LinkedIn can be a valuable resource for students regarding networking for careers. Knowing where to get started and how to utilize this tool is one of the many topics Bowen covered, along with resume building and professionally customizing your profile.
“I believe in the power of LinkedIn based on the success that I’ve had, and I want to share that success with others so they can have those same successes,” Bowen said.
One of the tips Bowen encourages students to do when joining LinkedIn is to have a strong profile. Doing this will show people a good sense of who you are, what you are about, and what field you are interested in scoping out.
Another thing you should include in your profile is a resume and academic background. This can stand out to recruiters and anyone looking for people to give opportunities to. If you don’t have a resume, there are templates online that you can use as a reference for making one.
Bowen also shared a few “hacks” to make networking more accessible, such as pinning essential documents on your board, using LinkedIn’s learning program, and filtering out the search bar to find more specific searches.
He reminded students that LinkedIn isn’t the only place to network; any form of social media is by reading articles, attending conferences, being thoughtful, and following up with people you meet. Networking is crucial in today’s job market, and the best part is all the other ways we can connect on all social media platforms today.
Backing up his knowledge of LinkedIn, Bowen shared his own testimony of his experience with LinkedIn at the event.
After joining LinkedIn in 2015, he received an offer from a recruiter from a well-known company and decided to give it a shot. This leap of faith changed his life and led to a promising career as a corporate employee. The position allowed him to travel and do things he never thought he’d do.
As a result of being on LinkedIn and a recruiter reaching out, this Indigenous man from a poor rural county in North Carolina got to fly across the U.S. and see things he never thought he would.
“You never know,” Bowen said. “I’ve made connections with people in different countries that I thought were hoaxes because they seemed too good to be true. All from the result of being on LinkedIn, being active, and having an adequate profile.”
After delving into his experiences and success stories, it revealed to students that LinkedIn was more than a resume builder.
“I am really glad I attended the event,” said Sydney Brooks, a Sophomore in Kinesiology. “After hearing the impact networking had on Dr. Bowen, it made me truly realize how important it is.”
In addition to Bowen’s valuable insights, event attendees gained practical knowledge about navigating LinkedIn for job searches and professional growth. The event sparked a sense of motivation and determination among students to utilize the power of LinkedIn and other forms of networking to build successful career paths.
“I hope they took away some strategies to help them network and be able to obtain the jobs they desire,” Bowen said.