About the Author

Sean O’Keefe is a professor, researcher, founder, and speaker. He received the Outstanding Faculty Award at Santa Clara University, which U.S. News & World Report ranked among the best in the nation for undergraduate education. Sean also leads a team that conducts research about college students and the impact of cold and warm networking on building social captial, career readiness, internships, and jobs.

Sean is the founder, partner, and chief impact officer of Career Launch, a social enterprise that partners with colleges and career programs to scale the skill set of launching a holistic job or internship search, especially for students who have few or no connections to the jobs they want.

He is frequently invited to speak at conferences, career expos, professional development summits, and higher education events.

Sean attended Diablo Valley Community College before transferring to earn his bachelor of arts degree in communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In college, he created a proactive strategy, now called the Career Launch Method, to land internships with the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland A’s, and San Francisco Giants—all without knowing anyone at the organizations. Sean earned his MBA from Santa Clara University and began his teaching career in 2010. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife, whom he met in the third grade, and two children.

You can find Sean on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/seanokeefe.