After you have signed up for FPN using your BGSU email, here are a few next steps!

• Complete your profile
  • Located in the upper right-hand corner of the page, click on the green circular button that has your first name initial, select “My Profile” and follow the prompts
  • You can update your profile as often as you would like. It is good practice to regularly update all your professional platforms (resume, Linked In, and Falcon Professional Network)
  • The system will curate community recommendations for you based on your profile
     
• Explore the site! From the top toolbar, we recommend you visit “Career” and “Community.” Here’s what to expect from each:
  • Career: Discover various career pathways to explore, learn more about what’s needed to succeed in a particular career, the typical salary range, and more!
  • Community: Begin to build your community by actively…
    • Searching profiles - find others in your major, field, or position
    • Sending messages - Ask questions, introduce yourself 
    • Having conversations - check your inbox regularly to keep the conversation going

To find people to connect with, click on the “Connect” option from the top toolbar and click “Community.”

• From this screen, you will see alums, fellow students, faculty/staff, select employers, and other friends of the University. You can search for specific people and sort by industry, topics, hobbies, and more!
• The system will highlight potential connections based on what you’ve included in your profile, and if you have something in common, there will be a notification in the upper left-hand side of a person’s profile box
• To view a person’s profile, simply click on their profile box
   

Once you find someone you want to interact with, you can message them directly from the platform. To message someone, click on the “Message” option located at the bottom of the person’s profile box or next to their picture if you are on their profile page.

• You can craft your own message OR choose from the provided email templates to use as inspiration. 
  • There are three provided email templates: “Career Exploration,” “Expand My Network,” and “Reconnect.” All are readily available on the message page – just scroll your mouse over each, and the template will populate. We encourage you to personalize the message; the templates are there as a guide to get you started, but you can take it from there!

To explore a variety of career pathways, click “Career” from the top toolbar on the home page and then click “Career Paths.”

From here, you can explore a variety of pathways:

• Use the search box to type in specific job titles and/or broad industries; you can also use the provided filters feature to help narrow or expand your search!
• Explore the provided “career match features” – FPN will provide pathway recommendations based on your profile. Click on any that interest you to learn more!
• Search for pathways by industry – FPN provides a range of industries that you can click on to check out various career path options!