When you’re a college student, you’re usually worried about getting good grades, maintaining a social life and how long you can go before doing laundry.
But you know what you should add to the top of your to-do list? Building a professional network full of people in your desired industry will make it much easier when you’re triyng to land a job after college. According to HubSpot, about 85% of jobs are filled through networking.
So how exactly can you build a net work? Keep reading to find out.
Get to Know Your Professors
Many of your professors may still have professional connections to the field you’re interested in. You should look at their online bios and see which professors have worked at companies that you aspire to.
When you find a professor with a background you admire, stay behind after class or visit during
office hours to ask them for help. You never know which one of them has a close friend who works as a hiring manager at your dream company.
You can still reach out to a professor even if you’re not taking a class with them. Send an email explaining why you’re reaching out and what you need help with. Because they won’t know you personally, you should bring samples of your work, a copy of your resume or anything else that helps them learn more about your background.
Contact the Alumni Network
Every university has an alumni network, and many schools have a searchable database where you can find alumni from your specific department. People are more inclined to help strangers when they have something in common, so reaching out to others from your college is an effective strategy.
Even if you’re still in school, you may be able to join the official alumni association so you can attend events and meet alumni in person. Even your high school may have an alumni network that you can reach out to for career advice.
Join Industry Groups
Industry organizations are a hotbed of networking and often host local in-person or virtual meetups. Start researching the best organizations related to your profession and decide which you want to join.
Depending on where you live, there may be local associations around town that you can join and meet others in the industry. Sometimes making in-person connections can be better than talking to people online.
Make sure to sign up for the student membership fee. If you can’t afford that, contact the organization and ask them if they offer any pro bono memberships.
Contact Past Employers
If you have had internships or jobs in the past, you should reach out to former supervisors and ask them for help. If you did a good job, they will remember you fondly and we’ll be happy to help.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to employers you worked with a few years ago. The worst-case scenario is that they won’t be able to help you, but the best-case scenario is that they’ll know of an opportunity you’re a good fit for. Remember, it never hurts to reach out.
Reach Out on LinkedIn
If you’ve struck out trying to find alumni or professors, you can always go on LinkedIn and reach out to people there. Before you do that, make sure your profile is updated and you have a professional picture.
However, LinkedIn should be your last resort to go after trying in-person events or finding alumni contacts. Professionals on LinkedIn may receive dozens of messages a week so yours may fall through the cracks.
Tips on Networking
Respect their time and expertise
If you’re emailing a potential mentor, make sure to respect their time and keep your email fairly brief. Also, be patient when waiting for a response. If you haven’t heard back in a couple of weeks, it’s ok to follow up.
One of the most frustrating things for a potential mentor is a student who asks for a job or internship immediately. Even if that’s your eventual goal, you should start off by asking them questions about the industry in general, how they got started and any other advice they have.
Once you’ve had a couple of interactions, it may be appropriate to ask for suggestions on where to find an internship. But you should also prove that you’ve done your own research. That will make you seem more responsible and proactive than someone who is waiting for a handout.
When you’re asking a mentor for advice, make sure to have specific questions. Asking “how can I find an internship” is too vague and complicated. And the longer the question will take to answer, the less likely it is that it will be answered.
Make sure to follow up
When you’re attending events, make sure to grab every business card you can and follow up soon after. Even if someone says they’ll reach out to you, it’s best to contact them first. Nowadays, everyone has a million things on their plate and helping a struggling college student often isn’t at the top of their to-do list.
That’s why you have to be proactive to be successful at networking. Set a reminder in your calendar to reach out every few months and touch base.
Stay in touch
Networking isn’t just about meeting people a couple of times. It’s also about staying in touch regularly so that when you have a question or need a favor, it doesn’t feel like it’s coming out of nowhere.
Set reminders to reach out to your contacts every few months with an update. You can send them a link to something you created or share an interesting article you read. Simply staying in touch will ensure that they remember you so when the time comes to ask for a recommendation, they’ll be more inclined to say yes.
Disclaimers
