6.8 Strategies for Networking¹

In the context of career development, networking is the process by which people build relationships with one another for the purpose of helping one another achieve professional goals. Networking is a powerful tool in the job search process; experts estimate that 70-85% of jobs are filled through networking.²

When you “network,” you exchange and learn key information about the field and jobs you are interested in. Examples of information gleaned from networking include:

• business cards, résumés, cover letters, job-seeking strategies, leads about open jobs, information about companies and organizations, and information about a specific field.
• meet-up groups, conferences, special events, technology tools, and social media.
•  job “headhunters,” career counselors, career centers, career coaches, an alumni association, family members, friends, acquaintances, and vendors.

Networking can occur anywhere and at any time. In fact, your network expands with each new relationship you establish. And the networking strategies you can employ are nearly limitless. With imagination and ingenuity, your networking can be highly successful.

Once you acknowledge the value of networking, the challenge is figuring out how to do it. What is your first step? Whom do you contact? What do you say? How long will it take? Where do you concentrate your efforts? How do you know if your investments will pay off?

Begin exploring your possibilities by viewing the following energizing video, Networking Tips for College Students and Young People, by Hank Blank. He recommends the following modern and no-nonsense strategies:

1. Hope is not a plan. You need a plan of action to achieve your networking goals.
2. Keenly focus your activities on getting a job. Use all tools available to you.
3. You need business cards. No ifs, ands, or buts.
4. Attend networking events. Most of them offer student rates.
5. Master Linkedin because that is what human resource departments use. Post updates.
6. Think of your parents’ friends as databases. Leverage their knowledge and their willingness to help you.
7. Create the world you want to live in in the future by creating it today through your networking activity. These are the times to live in a world of “this is how I can help.”

For additional ideas and inspiration about networking for career development, watch the following video, Hustle 101: Networking For College Students and Recent Grads. The speaker, Emily Miethner, is a recent college graduate and the founder and president of NYCreative Interns, “dedicated to helping young creatives discover and then follow their dream careers.”

. . . And More Strategies

Strategies at College

Your college or university offers many opportunities for career development and exploring job opportunities starting with your classroom experience. Getting to know your professors and communicating with instructors is a valuable way to learn about a career and also get letters of reference if and when needed for a job. Professors can also give you leads on job openings, internships, and research possibilities. Most instructors will readily share information and insights with you.

In addition to faculty and instructors, classmates and alumni are valuable parts of your network. Classmates may or may not share your major, but many of them may have leads that could help you. Joining an on campus club can be a way to connect with others who have similar personal and career interests. If you don’t find an existing club, consider starting one. You could be just one conversation away from a good lead.  Reach out to your alumni office. You may find that some alumni are affiliated with your field of interest and can give you the “inside scoop.”

Strategies at Work

If you are currently employed and interested in exploring and expanding future job opportunities consider joining professional organizations.  You can meet many influential people at local and national meetings and events of professional and volunteer organizations. Learn about these organizations. See if they have membership discounts for students, or student chapters. Once you are a member, you may have access to membership lists, which can give you prospective access to many new people to network with.

If you don’t currently have a job or do not have a job in a field that you would like to have a long term career in consider volunteering or finding an internship.  Volunteering is an excellent way to meet new people who can help you develop your career, even if the organization you are volunteering with is not in your field. Just by working alongside others and working toward common goals, you build relationships that may later serve you in unforeseen and helpful ways. Many organizations offer internship positions to college students. Some of these positions are paid, but often they are not. Paid or not, you gain experience relevant to your career, and you potentially make many new contacts. Check CollegeRecruiter.com and internships.com for key resources.

Working full-time may be your ultimate goal, but you may want to fill in some cracks or crevices by working in a part-time job. Invariably you will meet people who can feasibly help with your networking goals. And you can gain good experience along the way, which can also be noted on your résumé. Check your college career center website. Many have online job boards for full and part-time employment.

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of informational interviews.  Informational interviews are a way to initiate contact with people in your chosen field who can tell you about their experiences of entering the field and thriving in it. Many websites have guidance on how to plan and conduct these interviews.

Strategies at Home and Beyond

Participate in online social media: An explosion of career opportunities await you with social media, including LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and many more. You will find an extensive list of suggested sites at CareerOneStop. Keep your communication ultra-professional at these sites. Peruse magazine articles, and if you find one that’s relevant to your field and it contains names of professionals, you can reach out to them to learn more and get job leads. Realize that social media is public and posting pictures of yourself at parties or commenting in an unbecoming way could cost you an opportunity.

Ask family members and friends, coworkers, and acquaintances for referrals: Do they know others who might help you? You can start with the question “Who else should I be talking to?”

Finally, consider printing some business or networking cards.   A printed business card can be an essential tool to help your contacts remember you. Creativity can help in this regard, too. Students often design cards themselves and either hand print them or print them on a home printer.

Activity: Networking for Career Development

Objectives

• Examine five strategies for obtaining and engaging with networking contacts
• Develop relationships with new contacts to enhance your career

Instructions

• Find information about five companies or people in your field of interest and follow them on Twitter.
• Research which social media platform is most popular within your current field of interest, and find leaders and experts in that field who are good models for how to interact with the audience of that platform. Be thoughtful about creating an account. Remember that these accounts will be highly searchable for a long time. What you post and how and when you post matters. That may enhance (or hurt) your career.
• Find names of three people who interest you (peruse magazine articles, online sites, or other resources), and write an email to them explaining your interests and any requests you may have for information.
• Sign up for newsletters from two professional organizations in a field you want to know more about.
• Find and attend one in-person or online event within a month.
• Now write about this experience on one of your social media sites.
• Keep your communication on social media positive. It’s poor form to attack or bully someone and may have regretful consequences. If you disagree with someone, do so respectfully.

Citations

1. Networking. Provided by: Lumen Learning. Located at: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/collegesuccess-lumen/chapter/networking-2/. License: CC BY: Attribution.
2. Belli, G. (2017, April 06). How Many Jobs Are Found Through Networking, Really? Retrieved from https://www.payscale.com/career-news/2017/04/many-jobs-found-networking
3. Dillon, Dave. Blueprint for Success in College and Career. OER Commons. https://press.rebus.community/blueprint2/. CC BY 4.0.