Hello all! Hope everyone is doing great.
While in school we all wonder how the outside professional world would be and are excited to experience it. We do put a lot of time and effort to learn new things, understand and implement the concepts, experiment our ideas and also to get good grades. One thing that will help you learn about the professional world is Networking.
Networking is unfortunately not a part of the school syllabus. School is the place where you will have many opportunities. Those opportunities will help you grow as an individual and also as a professional. You will meet a variety of individuals, they have their own strengths, targets, stories, experience which will influence you. Everyone has one or many values which can be added to your own knowledge, behavior to make you better. You can get all this by just connecting.
We all are active socially may be on Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat. We have followers or might be following someone. In this process we read, learn and understand new things, you share your thoughts and ideas. This keeps us updated about ongoing things and also expand our circle.
Networking in a professional world is similar but you do it in a professional manner. You might need help going where you want to, you might want to learn more about current technologies and stay updated, you might want to know about researches. Networking is the answer as there are professionals out there who are experienced in specific fields, who know more about what you want to know. Connecting with those professionals will help big time. Those professionals might be company personnel, alumna, influencers, bloggers, researchers, university professors etc.
Networking is more like small conversations which will help you with opportunities after your graduation. Your connections will help you as they were in the same boat earlier. You might be looking for internship opportunities, career guidance, company insights and your connections can help you with it. Data has shown that having a good network does help you create internship and/or full time job opportunities.
Tips for Networking,
- Take benefits on the career services
- Connect with school alumna and professors
- Use the online presence
- Prepare a pitch and be presentable
- Communicate and ask questions
- Stay in touch
- Stay active on LinkedIn and keep your profile up to date
Networking in school is a must. You might not completely understand the importance but eventually you will, so do not delay as this is not a one-time process. It takes time to connect with people. Don’t be hesitant or shy while connecting because you will learn as you go. Start networking soon which will increase the chances of connecting to a professional who can help you get where you need to be.
All the very best!
