I’ve gotten every job I’ve ever had through networking, including my first job busing tables at a restaurant in my hometown. My brother held the job before me, and when I turned 14, I applied and used him as a reference.
A friend helped me get an interview for my second job hostessing, my dad introduced me to an employer who hired me to work in her natural food’s store during college, my basketball coach got me a job in the athletic office as a work-study student, then I used references from that job to transition to a position with campus rec during my junior year, and during the summer entering senior year, I landed an internship with Boston Magazine after a friend’s dad got me an interview.
And of course, probably one of the top reasons that I’m actually employed right now is because I met my current boss as an intern at a Pennsylvania editor’s conference, got his contact information and sent him my resume after the conference was over.
Networking is about a little luck and also about putting yourself in situations that may turn out to be lucky in the first place. I was lucky that The York Daily Record was hiring when I sent my resume, but I also knew that by interning at the editor’s conference in the first place, I would probably meet at least one editor who was hiring.
My top three tips for networking effectively?
1. Start with friends and family. Not only are they the people who are most invested in you and your future, and therefore most willing to help, but they also might have some surprising connections.
2. Think creatively. Don’t limit yourself to making contacts only in your field. I went to a college that does not have a journalism program and consequently we don’t have a large alumni base currently working as reporters. I found a way around that by meeting people who came into regular contact with professionals in the media field, such as advertisers, business people and publishers.
3. Sometimes the less prestigious opportunities are the best. Social networking is great, but it still cannot compete with the connection made during a face-to-face meeting. Internships at smaller companies often provide individualized attention, better opportunities to gain hands-on experience and the chance to develop key relationships with employers.
