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Newcastle Alumni on LinkedIn
With LinkedIn, you can research the career paths of more than 134,000 of our former students. Find out what they did after graduation and how they got there. Reach out to them for advice and inspiration.
Step 1: Create a profile on LinkedIn
Go to LinkedIn to sign up. You can find advice on creating and developing your profile on our LinkedIn page.
We can give you feedback on your LinkedIn profile during CV appointments. Book an appointment through MyCareer for a 15-minute review.
Step 2: Join Newcastle alumni groups on LinkedIn
Joining groups helps you find people and connect more easily. The Alumni Association’s group is a great way to get started.
Once you have joined the group, you can:
- read, start and join discussions
- view profiles
- message group members without being directly connected to them
You can also join:
- START UP - inclusive community for Newcastle University START UP founders, freelancers and friends
- Business School Alumni - the official group for alumni and students of Newcastle University Business School
Step 3: Use LinkedIn's Alumni tool
LinkedIn's Alumni tool lets you view details of more than 134,000 Newcastle alumni worldwide. You can see:
- where they’re located
- which companies they work for
- what they do
- what they studied
- what they’re skilled at.
Advice on contacting alumni
Before you contact anyone on LinkedIn, think carefully about what you want to know and how best to make use of a graduate's valuable time.
Do some background research on their role and organisation. Tell them what you already know, to help them tailor their advice to your needs.
If you’re asking to connect with them:
- make sure you're on their full profile first
- add a note to personalise your request
- don’t send the default message.
Explain who you are and why you’re contacting them. If they accept your connection request, send a follow-up message thanking them and go into more detail about what you’d like to know.
Top tips
Our alumni are busy and may not be able to respond immediately. If you don’t receive a reply:
- review your message to make sure it was appropriate
- send a polite follow-up email after a week or so to check that they received your original message.
When you receive a reply, please acknowledge and thank the graduates for taking the time to respond. Keep in touch with them and update them with your progress. You never know when they may hear of a relevant opportunity they could recommend you for.
It can be useful to talk to others in the field. The graduate may be able to suggest other people who can help you. Get specific names and titles and ask if you can use the graduate’s name when setting up any future contact.
Example message to a graduate
Hi…
I found your profile in the Newcastle University Alumni Association group. I’m studying marketing at Newcastle and am really interested in a career in digital marketing.
I saw that you’ve had a variety of digital marketing roles and I’m keen to get your advice. Would you be willing to answer a few questions about your experience?
Many thanks
Your name
Questions to ask
You should try to get advice about a role or industry to help you in your career planning and job search. Don’t ask directly for a job or work experience.
Try to avoid asking general questions you could easily find the answer to from the company website. Use this opportunity to ask specific questions - perhaps two or three initially.
Example questions
To help you get started, here are some examples:
- What’s the typical route to get into X career?
- What skills and experience are employers looking for in this field?
- What did you learn in your course that has really helped you to do your job?
- What was the recruitment process for your job?
- Where are vacancies advertised? Are there particular recruitment agencies I could sign up with?
- Are there things I could do to strengthen my chances? (mention any relevant activities you already do)
- Does your organisation offer any work shadowing or project opportunities that would allow me to broaden my experience?
- Are there other career areas that my strengths and attributes make me suitable for that I might not have thought of?
- What is the typical career progression in this field?
- Which parts of the field are expanding and likely to offer opportunities in the future?
- Are there any specialist publications I should read? (mention any that you read regularly)
- Are there any professional associations I should join?
- Would you be willing to give some brief feedback on my CV/application?
- Could you recommend anyone else for me to talk to?