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doing to help students find the right careers. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Q: What efforts are under- way to help students on LinkedIn find their dream jobs after college? A: When we think about stu- dents, we really look at a long journey. It really starts when a high school student makes a decision around their school and major all the way through to their first internship and full- time job. There are foundational build- ing blocks that we've already built. These are things like uni- versity pages. We allow universi- ties to build their presence and tie in their alumni, and that allows students and recent grad- uates to figure out what people similar to them have gone on to do. When you think about the job-seeking experience, assets like our alumni finder or field of study explorer already help these graduating students figure out their options. Q: If you're a student who's new to LinkedIn, what advice would you give them? A: Think about LinkedIn as a way to establish your brand, to find opportunities and for oppor- tunities to find you. It all starts by building a great profile. Stu- dents can start by putting basic things like your picture, school, major, relevant courses, GPA, as well as all kinds of projects, interests and volunteering oppor- tunities that you had a chance to participate in. When I talk to students, some- times I hear they feel a little intimidated. They feel like LinkedIn is just for later-stage professionals that already have experience. This couldn't be fur- ther from the truth. Q: Are there any new tools or products for students coming up at LinkedIn? A: I can't say specifically what we're working on, but the one thing that I would say is that the team is super hard at work in actively building those tools. Generally speaking, there's a lot of focus around how we can do an even better job at preparing these students for their first steps into the professional world. We're going to double down on the things that we can help with through our unique assets, such as leveraging career outcome data to get rid of the guess work and to help these students make the best informed decisions. Q: S h o u l d y o u s t a r t u s i n g L i n k e d I n b e f o r e y o u e n t e r college? A: Two years ago, we lowered the age restriction, and high school students can now sign up. We actually build very specific tools for high school students to make the best and most informed decisions about which schools they should consider and which majors. Career pointers for young women starting out 2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • May 21, 2015 linkedin . . . from page 1 see LINKEDIN . . . page 6 Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organiza- tions of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. How to overcome nerves when giving that big presentation By Liz Reyer Tribune News Service (TNS) & A Q Q. I'm going to be doing my first-ever presentation to some executives, and I'm really nervous. What can I do to keep from blowing it? A. Remember that they are human, and that they want you to succeed. THE INNER GAME Executives can be intimidating to folks who are newer in the work- force; it's just in the nature of a hierarchy. Some, in fact, may thrive on that. But in my experience, most people who have risen within organizations are well-meaning and want their junior colleagues to be successful. As you think about your upcoming presentation, keep this point of view in mind if you get nervous. Also look at your self-perception. It's telling that you refer to "blowing it." You won't be helping yourself if you have negative thoughts running through your head. And it makes me wonder if this is typical for you. If so, it will end up limiting your suc- cess and is a good habit to break. Try turning around your phrasing: what can you do to be brilliantly successful? How much do you know about the people you'll be presenting to? If you're familiar with their work styles, their interests and their goals for what they'd like to learn, you'll be better positioned to meet their needs. Finally, consider your approach to making presentations in general. When are you most comfortable, and what can you do to recreate those conditions? For example, you may be most relaxed when you feel like the expert in the room; in that case, focus on building your mastery of the content you're presenting. THE OUTER GAME When you have a high-stakes meeting, it's worth it to put forth plenty of effort to prepare. Given your lack of experience with the executive team, you probably do not know a lot about them. If that's the case, set up time with your boss to prep. Find out who'll be in the room, ask about their hot buttons, determine the right level of detail to share, and ask the all important question: What else should I know before I walk into the room? Based on that feedback, pre- pare your slides or other materi- al, and have someone review it for clarity and accuracy. Look hard for typos or anything else that could leave a bad impression. Then rehearse. Know the pur- pose of each slide and go through your talk out loud until you feel comfortable. You may even want to ask some co-workers or friends/family to listen and give you feedback. Think about what questions may be asked, and have a response in mind. Remember that you can always buy time by promising to follow up on a ques- tion you can't answer on the spot. Develop a routine to use to calm down if nerves start to get the better of you. Taking some deep breaths makes an immediate difference; try it before you go into the meeting to get a good start. After your presentation is done, learn from the experience. What was most successful? What would you change? THE LAST WORD It can be hard to be in the spot- light, but preparation and the right attitude will help you suc- ceed. A publication of Conley Media Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2004 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Subscriptions are available for $34 (non-refundable) for a 6-month subscription. Call 262-306-5008 for information. Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Account Executive: Julie Sears 262-306-5008 jsears@conleynet.com Story Coordinator: Dan Muckelbauer 262-513-2626 dmuck@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 17 • Number 36 May 21, 2015 To place an ad: Call us at 262-306-5008 or fax us at 262-542-6082 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays While the job market appears to be on the mend, recent college graduates know they need to go the extra mile in order to get a foot in the door of their desired profession. And according to a Legal Momentum analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, young women with college degrees may face an even more difficult battle than their male counterparts. The earnings disparity between men and women of similar qualifications has long been known and can be traced to a host of factors (for exam- ple, men tend to earn degrees in more lucrative fields than women), but women are also facing lower employ- ment rates than men, despite holding an advantage in educational attain- ment. In analyzing data on women between the ages of 21 and 30, Legal Momentum found that 30 percent had a bachelor's degree, while just 23 per- cent of men in the same age bracket had a bachelor's degree. Young women aware of such figures should rightfully be concerned. While there may be little recent female col- lege graduates can do to address those concerns, there are steps they can take to improve their chances of landing a job in their chosen fields. • Get experience. Any experience in your chosen field, regardless of how small your role might be, is potentially valuable experience. A willingness to tackle any task and get a better grasp of the industry will stand out to a prospective employer, especially if you are currently working as an intern with no promise of a full-time position come the end of your internship. The more you can learn about the industry you hope to work in, the more attrac- tive you become to prospective employers. • Don't be afraid to take an intern- ship after graduation. Many young people think internships are valuable see CAREER POINTERS . . . page 6

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