Develop Potential Contacts

THE FIRST STEP in starting your networking efforts is to develop a list of potential contacts. According to Hansen in her book, "A Foot in the Door", the following are the very best contacts for college students.

• Your classmates - Although you may consider your classmates to be possible competitors as you look for jobs, they can be wonderful sources of information. Like you, they are also deciding what career directions or employers are right for them and they may have uncovered some great resources that you haven't come across.
• Alumni, especially recent grads - Ask what alumni are doing who graduated in your major and track those down that work in areas that are of interest to you. You can find this information from your university's career services office, alumni office, or from professors in your department. A terrific way to network with alumni is to speak to them at career fairs and other campus events.
• Parents & other family - It has been estimated by networking experts that the average person has up to 250 contacts and your parents, as well as other family members, have many years of accumulated experience that you would be foolish not to take advantage of. Naturally, too, they have a vested interest in your career success and will be very supportive of your request for contacts.
• Parents of classmates - No doubt you have had the opportunity to meet the parents of some of your friends. They, like your parents, will be pleased to help you and they are good sources of information.
• Professors and other advisors - Many professors and other advisors do take a personal interest in their students and stay in touch with them after graduation. In addition, faculty have years of connections that they have forged through their research and affiliation with their professional societies.
• Current and former employers - Your current and former employers will know other employers in their field and will have many professional contacts that they can share with you. Further, as your employer, they can be a very powerful referral source for you because they are familiar with your work and with your potential.
• Guest speakers and Career Fair representatives - The people who serve as guest speakers and Career Fair representatives are enthusiastic about working with college students and, in fact, they often volunteer for these assignments. Attending career fairs and going to hear guest speakers give you unparalleled networking opportunities. The purpose for these events is to provide you with career information, and, moreover, many of these representatives are alumni of your university.
• Members of professional associations - Some students will join the American Marketing Association or the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineering because it looks good on their resume. Wrong! The real reason why you should join is that you meet other students with interests similar to yours who can clue you in on hiring trends and career options. Importantly, too, many professional associations host guest speakers that speak about their organizations and their career opportunities.
• Members of clubs or other organizations to which you belong - Do not underestimate the value of other organizations that you belong to, even if these are unrelated to your major or career field. Through playing rugby or belonging to a Greek organization, for instance, you form close relationships that may potentially help you to connect with sources of career and job information
• Internet on-line discussion groups, chat rooms, and web-based networks - Any advice on networking in today's wired world would certainly be incomplete without a discussion of internet resources. Many professional and industry associations, such as the Public Relations Society of America or the Semiconductor Industry Association, host newsgroups and mailing lists that professionals use to discuss recent trends in their fields, ask questions of each other, and network. In addition, there are also 'chat' rooms available on several commercial sites, such as Monster.com and WetFeet.com. For information on how you can find these sites and protocol or 'netiquette' to follow, use the Riley Guide.