It’s been said that Bobcats love helping Bobcats. Therefore, networking, especially with fellow Bobcats, is easier than ever. Whether you are a sophomore or a graduating senior, connecting with your alumni network gives you a pulse on careers, industry, and opportunities. Alumni connections open doors of understanding and future positions. Alumni networking teaches you, inspires you, and advances you and your future.
The Bobcat Network is an online community where alumni, students, faculty, and staff can connect with fellow Bobcats, give back to the OHIO community, and expand your professional network.
On the Bobcat Network, you can seek and provide career guidance, connect via events, and learn through an abundance of educational opportunities and resources. In addition, the Bobcat Network has the capability to synch content from your LinkedIn page.
There are over 6,000 Bobcats on the site, and they can’t wait to welcome you onto the platform!
Step one: Create your profile and set up your account
- Visit bobcatnetwork.ohio.edu
- Click “sign in” (top right)
- Create an account using your OHIO ID, Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn
- If you use your OHIO ID, you’ll be automatically approved to access the system.
- If you use your LinkedIn, it will help autofill parts of your profile.
- Create your profile by adding a photo and taking the time to answer the registration questions fully and accurately
- Browse for alumni by selecting “Connect with a Bobcat”
- You can use the filters on the righthand side to search by industry, college, grad year, etc.
- When you find someone that you’d like to learn more about, click on their profile. From their profile, you can message them or request help with a topic they’ve said they can help you with.
Step two: Exploring the Bobcat Network
Feed
- The feed of the Bobcat Network is the home of the Bobcat Network. You can see recent and online members, interact with your fellow Bobcat’s posts, and create your own posts. The Bobcat Network feed encourages users to stay engaged with others and the university as well as start meaningful conversations.
Connect with a Bobcat alum
- An opportunity to learn about a professional’s experience in an area of interest
- Set up a one-time, 30-minute conversation with an alumni mentor
- Set a time to have the conversation
- Develop a list of questions in advance
- Practice using your networking skills
- Reflect
- What did you learn from the person you spoke with?
- What was the most interesting part of your conversation?
- Is this something you see yourself doing again? Why or Why not?
- What else do you need to do to prepare for your future career?
- Reflect
- This is the site’s directory of Bobcats – students, alumni, faculty, and staff. You can search and connect with specific people or filter users based on features such as graduation year, work experiences, education experiences, and mentorship interest. Along with finding users, you can message and video chat on the platform to create and develop connections.
- You can message folks directly through the platform from this feature. If you do not want to be contacted at this time, for example, because you’ve started a new job and that takes precedence, you can change your settings to indicate that you do not want to be contacted at this time. You can always change it back!
Jobs
- Here you can find mid to senior-level job opportunities on the job board. You can filter based on location, company, job function, and other factors to find your next job.
- Students – you can find these jobs on Handshake if you’re interested in checking them out! Alumni don’t instantly have access to Handshake (you can apply but there’s a waiting period) so we just provide those opportunities to alumni directly on the Bobcat Network!
Groups
- Join groups based on affinity and region to connect with others. Each group is managed by different Bobcats and offers different resources, events, and support. Explore the 35+ groups and find your home away from hOUme.
Events
- Explore events that are happening, both virtual and in-person. The events featured on this page are open to all Bobcats and we encourage that you register for events that interest you to stay engaged with the university. These events range from social to professional development and learning opportunities.
Resources
- The resources page provides information on alumni benefits, volunteering, giving, and alumni association archives. Event recordings are also located here!
Bobcat Neighborhood
- This is a directory of Bobcat-owned businesses. Here you can browse and support Bobcat business. If you own your own business, this is the place to post and promote your services! We would love to have more Bobcat businesses online for others to shop and support.
Step 3: Next steps
Spend time on the Bobcat Network and interact and engage with Bobcats.
Consider working with a career coach to set goals for using the Bobcat Network.
Log into Handshake to schedule appointments, search for jobs and internships, and view upcoming events.