On the evening of March 13, 2018, Hudson’s Head of Talent Management Consulting for Eastern China Mr. Yishang CHEN and Head of the Talent Management Product R&D Center Mr. Liang CHEN came to Career Talk as guests and shared how to rely on social networks to support career development with students through analysis from multiple perspectives under the theme of “how to make your social networks work well”.

After a brief opening statement, Mr. Liang CHEN put forward a series of related questions to underline the importance of social networks. Establishing social networks can help students obtain information on private connections, develop diverse skills and gain access to more resources in and out of enterprises. They can sort out powerful intermediaries in social networks through establishing their own career social network examination reports and maintain close contact with such people in future work. While evaluating social networks’ effectiveness, Mr. Liang CHEN explained in detail two common mistakes affecting establishment of social networks – the principle of self-similarity and the principle of proximity. The former can facilitate establishment of social circles but brings certain limitations. The latter also brings limitations to social circles. To better expand social circles, everybody should jump out of their framework of social intercourse to get acquainted and make friends with peers from different fields.

In social activities, common goals can contribute to establishment of better social relations, and common activities can bring confidence and establish lasting social relations. Of course, while establishing social relations, one should adjust his mentality and should not be too purposeful. In order to take, one must first give. It is never too late to begin. Besides, Mr. Yishang CHEN shared some cases encountered in work to show that everybody has his unique drivers in work: some are short-term ones and some are long-term ones. Before entering the workplace, everybody should figure out his own drivers so as to have more motivation in future work.

In the present era of information explosion, social networking platforms give people better opportunities to obtain information they are interested in and come into contact with individuals from different fields. While discussing the importance of social networks, Mr. Liang CHEN encouraged students to share their life experiences and original views on matters with others via social networks because such trivial matters can attract people cherishing the same ideals. Then, Mr. Liang CHEN carefully elaborated the eight steps of improving personal LinkedIn files to the audience. One can improve his own social networking file by uploading professional photos, manifesting his unique views, showing his experiences and skills, making good use of letters of recommendation and updating the social networks continuously.

Mr. Liang CHEN showed his personal LinkedIn page and that of Mr. Yishang CHEN to the students, and explained how to run personal accounts better according to content modules item by item. Whether it’s the self-introduction on the top of the page or an original article demonstrating one’s understanding and view on the industry, each item gives us a more vivid and intuitive understanding of how to better introduce oneself on social networking platforms. Besides, Mr. Yishang CHEN said the platform of LinkedIn also rates personal activeness. A higher rating can help one find a suitable job.