Photo Courtesy: Parker Michael Knight
The old adage says it best – it is not “what†you know, it is “who†you know that counts. Whether or not this is always true remains to be seen, but in the workforce it holds a special resonance.
Networking is a useful tool that can help you throughout your professional career. Whatever field you are looking to go into, college is the perfect time to start forming solid relationships that can help you to find work when you graduate. Whether it is a few months down the line, or after a few years, you will see results from forming these friendships and networking in college.
Get to Know People!
It may seem obvious but you might be surprised how many people do not take advantage of their college experience to get to know people. The people in your major will someday be the people in your field, and you never know when you might need to talk with somebody that you used to know. This is also the best way to get to know other people. You will find that by getting to know people and going to plenty of events, you will be introduced to others in your field – and you will be able to do the same for other people.
Get to Know Your Professors
Your professors are often the people who will have the biggest influence on your college career. Getting to know them will not only give you help if your assignments are difficult, but can also help you after you graduate. You will need references from professors when you are applying for jobs. You may also be able to use them as resources – believe it or not, professors know people too! They often have connections in the field and if you are a good student, they may want to recommend you.
Stay in Touch
A couple of years can be a long time – long enough for you to lose touch with someone whom you may need to contact later. We live in an internet age and it is a very useful networking tool. Email has revolutionized the way we connect with the world now. There are multiple professional networking tools online and they are a great way to form a web of contacts that you may need in the future. As you are already aware, billions of people use social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (the most effective platform for job seekers) every day.
Networking is very important in almost any profession, so if you start now, while you are in college, you will be grateful that you have a solid group of connections as you enter the workforce. When it comes down to it, networking is nothing more than making and keeping friends – and who doesn’t like to make friends?
Kevin Nielson is a freelance writer and helps students learn how to become a police officer through online college and excellent police training programs.
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