You won’t get a job by mass emailing your resume. Networking is going to be the most likely path for you to get one. Don’t wait until the end of your senior year to start networking. Here’s how to do it.
Networking in college. Why the hell should you do that? Why don't I just wait till I graduate? I'm Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter. I'm a coach who helps people professionally in a number of different ways. And I came across an article that I thought was terrific, that really talks about networking while you're in school. So, this way, when you graduate, you're not starting from scratch. and you have access to resources more readily, because, remember, when you're in school, there are people around you--professors, you know, career offices, lots of different things that you can utilize in order to find that first job. So the article I've read, talks about a number of different things. So, number one is visit Career Services. And the idea is, number one, it's free. Number two is Career Services works with student organizations, academic departments, employers, to help students and alumni find internships and employment opportunities. In other words, they're there to help you. And although they're not always going to turn things up, why not? It's free. Number 2. Join Alumni Associations, because with Alumni Associations, previous students, now grads, are able to or you're able to connect with them. And many of the Alumni Associations are going to help you develop relationships with alum so that this way you can reach out to them for advice. As one person said, "over the past 11 years, I've had countless clients get opportunities by joining different societies". Like this one talks about Phi Beta Kappa, and going to events. Get out there; join these groups. Number three, use LinkedIn and social media not just simply to fool around, but to start making professional contacts. So, start by building a LinkedIn profile. Because the fact is 200,000 college students join LinkedIn every month. And as such, with 30 million student profiles on LinkedIn already, your goal is to start building up a professional appearance so that firms trying to hire rookies can find you. And number two, you can start connecting with people at organizations that you want to be interviewed by. So you can reach out to business leaders, managers, directors, a whole host of people that can help you. Next is, and this is number four, connect with professors, particularly those who inspire you and with whom you've had a relationship while in school, you know, to a zoom call, with Skype, FaceTime, invite them to a meal, phone call, whatever it is, talk to them. And if you're introverted, reach out to them through LinkedIn and communicate with them that way. The idea is, by speaking with them, sometimes you're able to get an interview with a company that they know . . . and get that interview after graduation at a company that they know. Next, and this is number five, reach out to people you already know. And they may be recent grads at a year ahead of you who've already landed. They can be your parents friends, just reach out to folks and start having sincere and honest conversations that allow you to start getting advice from people or, this is a term I hate, pick their brain and expand your network. Number six, get in touch with people you admire and ask them to be mentors. You can't have 20 mentors. So the idea is choose wisely because people give advice. They talk about their careers, and they're more than willing to help a puppy like you. Listen to them. Sometimes you get good advice. Sometimes you get not so good advice. But the idea is to start to build a network so that in this way, you're able to make connections. Next is depending upon the part of the country you're in, the local Chamber of Commerce may be able to point you to firms that are hiring. And I know in my area in North Carolina, the Chamber of Commerce is a great hub for people getting work. Go to local networking events and Justjvery simply, the idea is to become known within hiring circles for good reasons, hopefully not because you're a jerk. But I know, a lot of these events are attended by less experienced or young professionals who understand what it's like being you. So, once they like you, they're often willing to introduce you up to other people. Join organizations is number nine, join an organization whose mission and values are aligned with yours in a way to build your network, even if that involves volunteering with a not for profit, if that's really what you're interested in. Other people are volunteering, too including those older than you and thus, you can make connections there. And with that, you know, your internship, you know, volunteering or doing an internship is an important way that you make connections. Have a business card, or a professional looking thing that you can message someone with, that allows them to stay in contact with you. You know, a business card can just be your name, what it is you want to be doing phone number, email address, LinkedIn profile once you have that up and running. And thus, the goal is, I'm not going to put an affiliate link in here, finding a place where cards can be printed inexpensively for you, but don't look cheap. When all is said and done, you do this while you're still in school, rather than waiting to get out. You can start later in your junior year, or at some point in your junior year but don't wait until January of your senior year. Take action quickly in order to ensure that opportunities start arriving for you while you're in your senior year. I hope you foun this helpful. I'm Jeff Altman. My website is TheBigGameHunter.us. Go there and go exploring. There's a lot there to help you. In addition, if you're interested in one on one coaching, you can schedule time for a free discovery call and schedule time for coaching. I'd love to help you. Lastly, subscribe to my channel on YouTube. Click the small icon in the lower right or the picture of me in the upper left to get notified whenever I release something new. Oh, forgot to mention, I've got a great class on Udemy about interviewing. So you can go to TheBigGameHunter.us/interviews. And you can start learning how to interview and practice interviewing so this way you perform well. Or you can order my book, The Ultimate Job Interview Framework. It's available as a paperback or for kindle on Amazon. Hope you have a terrific day. be great. Take care.
