Free LinkedIn Headshots at the Career Fair

Dress your professional best and stop by the Career Fair for your free headshot.

The Career Fair runs January 17 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. and January 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on the second floor of UMSU University Centre. The annual event provides students and alumni with great opportunities to learn more about career ideas and explore occupational options.

The Career Fair allows students to feel like all of their hard work at school is connected to amazing opportunities in the world of work. It is also a great opportunity to learn about industry, network, or even land a job says Rebecca Balakrishnan.

As a career consultant with the U of M’s career services, Balakrishnan helps students transition from students with dreams to graduates with occupations. She says the Career Fair is an important tool for this.

“Preparation is everything at any Career Fair. Take the time to research the attending employers in advance. From there, reflect on how your experiences and skills meaningfully connect to the needs of organizations you’re interested in. Based on this, you can prepare a tailored resumé and consider questions for each employer,” says Balakrishnan.

This is the third year University of Manitoba Alumni Relations will provide free headshots, available to both students and graduates of the U of M. The photos—to be used in LinkedIn profiles—will be taken by one of the university’s professional photographers.

“Alumni Relations is thrilled to partner with Career Services once again as a way to help current students and alumni pursue their career goals” says Tracy Bowman, Director of Outreach and Engagement. “These two groups often look to Alumni Relations to connect them with alumni established in their careers, general networking opportunities, or for information on new and emerging industries offering employment that matches their skill sets. We are happy to provide support whenever we can.”

Since the LinkedIn platform is used so widely in the professional world, this opportunity to get a high-quality photo can help ensure you make a great first impression.

“When you’re looking for a job, employers will Google you. LinkedIn allows you to ensure that a professional page controlled by you shows up in the results,” says Balakrishna. “In the modern labour market, people get recruited through LinkedIn, so a profile that highlights your best qualifications could even land you a job. LinkedIn is also a great tool for reaching out to potential professional contacts, sharing your ideas by commenting on discussions, or linking to the rest of your online professional presence such as your blog, YouTube channel, website, or e-portfolio.”

Last year nearly 300 students and alumni took advantage of the free service, helping to enhance their LinkedIn profiles. LinkedIn’s research indicates that profiles with a photo are 14 times more likely to be clicked on. Ensuring you have a friendly, professional image encouraging people to click on your profile is key says Balakrishnan.

“Beyond this, your photo can help remind your Career Fair connections of who you are and what you talked about. By the end of the two-day fair, they will have encountered a sea of faces, and your photo can help jog their memory of you.”

All students currently enrolled at the U of M are also encouraged to stop by the Alumni Relations booth at the Career Fair to enter the $1,000 BMO Bank of Montreal Tuition Draw.

Jack Rach