Stories

Andersen ‘18 thanks SCU for her success

By Jenny Walsh ‘20

What question does every graduating senior get asked most often? That’s easy: “Have you found a job?” While most SCU students are fortunate to be able to answer that question within a few months of graduating, the process can be stressful, especially when you may be looking for a job not directly related to your major. Case in point: Edie Andersen ‘18 (Economics). Andersen started at LinkedIn right after graduating in June. Now nine months into life as a fulltime employee, Andersen agreed to discuss her impressions of her new life and to reflect on her time at SCU.

While Andersen landed on her feet as she graduated, it was a close call. “I was having difficulty finding a job, which was a little nerve-wracking. But as graduation approached, a friend of a friend contacted me about a technical recruiter position at LinkedIn.” That networking connection led to an application, and a few interviews later, Andersen found herself a LinkedIn employee.

As a “front-end” technical recruiter at LinkedIn, she is helping her company identify and recruit  software engineering talent. Using a LinkedIn software tool that “scrapes” attributes from LinkedIn members’ profiles, she is able to identify potential recruits for LinkedIn. Then come the email queries and the phone conversations. If successful, those recruits become applicants, and applicants become employees. “I come to work every day and get the chance to talk to all these interesting people, and I help people to get their dream jobs,” she says.

At LinkedIn, Andersen finds her SCU education playing a prominent role in her life, as she puts to work her skills in economics, technology, and community development to work. Andersen also notes that her soft skills developed in her classes and her numerous extracurricular activities help her as well. “Being able to investigate and research something, and being able to interview someone effectively are skills I use every day.”

While her new responsibilities are exciting, Andersen does admit the transition has had a few bumps. “The first few months were tough, getting used to a new routine and not having my tight knit group of friends around me.”

She also is still acclimating to a steady working routine. “I miss the variety of things I got to do every day at SCU. I could go from classes to ASG [Associated Student Government] to the Imaginarium communication team in the same day at Santa Clara. No one ever told me “no” at Santa Clara. They said “yes, how can I help you.”

Andersen also shared that in her new, workaday world “I have a lot less free time now, which I’m still getting used to. I’m still getting into the mindset that there is no spring break or Christmas break.”

Being in the workforce also means keeping an eye on the next opportunity. “I feel really empowered to look for new possibilities.  It’s my responsibility, and I can do this.”