Hi parents!
I was just wondering, since you’ve probably been through college, what does it mean when people say “networking”? I know that the ability to network is a significant reason as to why students want to go to top colleges and universities. But what exactly does that entail? What if you never kept in touch with your roommate and he/she eventually became POTUS? Are you just supposed to meet and get along with everyone you can? Thanks for clearing this up!
It’s definitely easier to network if you stay in touch with people!
My older son had a summer internship canceled on him when the economy collapsed in 2008. Thanks to being part of an online forum that included Carnegie Mellon alums - he quickly found out who else was still hiring and found an internship. Similarly it was a CMU alum at Google who recommended he be interviewed for a summer internship the following summer.
It’s certainly possible to reach out to people from your college via LinkedIn or other networks and see if they are willing to help you. I wouldn’t reach out to POTUS unless you had a really great resume though!
Networking doesn’t have to be through alums though. If you just let people know you are job hunting you may find your parent knows someone who is in human relations, and you talk to them and they send you to someone else who sends you to someone else…
Even though I am an architect and dh is a scientist, I got my first job when we returned to this area through a colleague of my husband’s not my own contacts.
The best networkers are the kind of people who really like and are interested in other people. They make an effort to keep in touch because they actually care, are respectful of people with very different points of view, always remember to say a very genuine ‘thank you’ when another person expends time and effort on their behalf, reciprocates when they can, and use their resources and access generously to help a wide range of people (not just those in their own circle or in a position to give something back). They teach, they mentor, they advocate for those they believe in - and sometimes those they don’t. Some people are naturally gifted in this way. Others learn it. Still others never figure it out and always complain that no one recognizes or appreciates them, without realizing that they are ‘one way streets’ in the wrong direction.
I promise you that while networking takes time and effort, and can make you feel very vulnerable (because you can always be rejected, right?), it is worth it just for the interesting people it brings into your life. And no, you don’t have to go to a fancy school to do it.
People who talk about networking at elite schools are referring to something else entirely which is the use of power and influence to gain more of same. If that’s what matters in your life, then yes, an elite school will put you in touch with more of these types. And you’ll still have to at least fake liking and taking an interest. Some people apparently find this fun.