Judging by the turnout at the LMU HR Mixer held April 11th in UHALL’s McIntosh Center, it was clear that HR/Management students, alumni and local HR professionals were eager for an excuse to meet and mingle. Hoping for at least 50 attendees, the final RSVP count soared over 140, proving that the HR industry is very much active and ready to make connections.
The event kicked off with a warm welcome by LMU Management Professor Ellen Ensher, who served as the night’s MC. Next, Emily Pennington of LMU’s Career Development Services presented a very informative session called “Tips for Using LinkedIn to Advance Your Career” and provided valuable advice on how to leverage key features of this powerful social networking tool. She gave an overview on everything from setting up your profile, to making connections, to how to leverage those connections for career opportunities.
Afterwards, guests had a chance to get to know each other even better by participating in a “break the ice” exercise. Each person received a sheet of paper with 10 fill-in-the-blank questions on it. The goal of the exercise was to find someone in the room who matched the questions. For example, one of the questions was “Find someone who was a student in Dr. Charlie Vance’s class.”
“It was wonderful seeing our students interact with professionals and watching those connections form,” said Ensher. “We were very pleased with the turnout and look forward to organizing another HR Mixer in the fall.”
