How should an Indian student applying to public policy programs in Germany, France, or Canada use LinkedIn to network before and during the application process?

LinkedIn is where a significant amount of recruiting happens before formal job postings go live, which makes building it early a structural advantage rather than a nice-to-have. The outreach strategy that works is short, industry-specific, and not asking for anything transactional in the first message. Write a connection note of 200 to 300 characters that introduces who you are using the language of the field, public policy, international development, or whatever the specific area, mentions a relevant data point about your background, and ends with a line expressing genuine interest in learning from their experience.

• This framing works because it positions the other person as an expert who has something worth sharing, which makes them more likely to respond than a message that reads as a job or internship request.
• For Germany and France specifically, connecting with current students and recent alumni at the programs you are applying to gives you authentic insight into what the program actually delivers, which is also material you can use in your application essays to demonstrate that you chose the program deliberately rather than by ranking alone.
• Start building these connections before you apply.