LinkedIn has an alumni finding tool that allows you to identify alumni by degree and profession. The tool provides some interesting statistics about UL English majors who use LinkedIn. By selecting UL alumni with an English degree you can identify the industries that employ UL’s English graduates and the skills UL English graduates are more likely to have. You can also view the profiles of UL alumni with English degrees, making it a good tool to identify and contact potential interview subjects.
Top Ten Industries for UL English Graduates
The tool gives us a nice overview of the industries in which alumni work. The information is a good starting point for research into careers for English majors. The top ten industries would be a good starting point for exploring careers for English Majors. A quick search of my other alma mater (University of New Orleans and University of Southern Mississippi) revealed that the top ten industries remains consistent at these universities.
| 1. | Education | 241 |
| 2. | Media and Communication | 145 |
| 3. | Business Development | 136 |
| 4. | Entrepreneurship | 98 |
| 5. | Information Technology | 84 |
| 6. | Community and Social Services | 82 |
| 7. | Operations | 80 |
| 8. | Sales | 71 |
| 9. | Arts and Design | 71 |
| 10. | Administrative | 58 |
Top Ten Skills
UL English majors claimed the following skills as most relevant to their jobs. It is noteworthy that writing does not appear in the top ten, but research and editing are in the top five.
| 1. | Public Speaking |
| 2. | Research |
| 3. | Microsoft Office |
| 4. | Editing |
| 5. | Customer Service |
| 6. | Social Media |
| 7. | Teaching |
| 8. | Leadership |
| 9. | Management |
| 10. | Microsoft Excel |
How can you use the tool?
Phase 1
The alumni tool can help you focus your research into the skills of English majors or their careers. You could identify alumni in an industry and look more closely at their job and skills.
Phase 2
The alumni tool can help you find interview subjects for your alumni profiles and help you find alumni who went on for advanced degrees.
