Networking Tips for the College Student
With the job market the way it has been in recent months, it is not hard to imagine why so many college students, myself included, are so concerned over their prospects upon graduation. There are simply too many qualified candidates and too few open positions. Hence, college students have to do everything they can to give themselves an edge over their peers. Graduating from a well known program with strong grades is simply no longer enough.
Instead, I feel that students NEED to build their personal networks during their time as an undergraduate in order to give them the upper hand when it comes to finding and securing job opportunities. Unfortunately, the traditional tactics of attending job fairs and joining career focused organizations is no longer enough. Students need to go above and beyond to differentiate themselves from the competition.
I recently wrote a post on Dumb Little Man, one of the largest personal improvement and productivity blogs on the web, discussing modern networking tactics for the college student. An excerpt from the post is below:
“Blog
It is amazing how much credibility having a blog instantly builds. It does not matter whether you have one reader or a hundred thousand readers; having and maintaining a blog shows you know how to take initiative and be consistent.
If your readership base is small, a blog may not attract new opportunities and contacts, but instead will serve as a way for you to be chosen for any opportunities that come your direction (whether it be a job, an internship, or a scholarship) and a way to build credibility with the contacts you make. Once you attract a readership base, opportunities will naturally find their way into your e-mail inbox
I currently run AM Beat, a blog about marketing and entrepreneurship. Through showing this blog to anyone I network with, it becomes easy to establish a sense of credibility and be memorable. The blog has also served as an outlet for me to meet various other students and entrepreneurs who can help me with my various projects.
Start a Club
At UC Berkeley, I started CEOB, the College Entrepreneur Organization of Berkeley. We currently have around 100 members, but the interesting thing is that since my e-mail is listed on the UC Berkeley website as the founder and head of the club, well known companies e-mail me opportunities for jobs and internships for me to pass on to my members.
In addition, it became easy to attract the attention of well known individuals as I can invite them to come speak at UC Berkeley. Hence, messages that may have gone ignored were instantly replied to. Once contact was made, making the connection became simple. ”
You can read the full article at Dumb Little Man.
