Networking is an important resource for students, whether they are ready to graduate or are just beginning college as a freshman. Reaching out to alumni is a key way to network. Alumni have already been through the process of getting a job and are willing to help anyone who needs tips on how to get a job, build a resume or even to talk about options that are available after graduation.
“Networking is very important to me,” Ryan Norris, 2005 graduate business consultant, said. “I am constantly networking 24/7. It has gotten me where I am today. It is the spine of who I am and it is still growing and always will.”
“Get to the Alumni office, tell them what your course of study is and ask for a list of Alumni you can reach out to,” Jody Romano, 1987 graduate and vice president of institutional advancement, said. “Alumni love to help Current students and Fellow Alumni.”
There are many ways to network with the alumni. Students can get ahold of past graduates on social media platforms such as LinkedIn. Professors can give students the names and emails of alumni that they think can help their process. Students can also go to the alumni office on campus.
“I think LinkedIn is the best tool to use for networking,” Elizabelth G. Kanaras-Cade, an assistant buyer for Trinity health, said. “It’s not stalking or being a creeper, if you LinkedIn with someone you meet, worked with, interned with, attended a seminar.”
LinkedIn is a great resource for anyone, whether they are looking for a job or reaching out to alumni. A study found on Pew research center said that 13 percent of LinkedIn users visit the site every day, including seven percent who say they visit LinkedIn several times a day.
“At my time at Cabrini we really didn’t have any formal tools available other than word-of-mouth,” Kanaras-Cade said. Nowadays, individuals use word-of-mouth and social media websites that can help them keep in contact with the connections that they make during our time here at Cabrini and even after they graduate.
According to a statement on recruiting blogs, 80 percent of today’s jobs are landed through networking.
Smart people who are looking for jobs understand that finding work takes effort and that it is very important that using connections to get a job will help them in the long run.
“LI with graduates of Cabrini even if you do not know them,” Kanaras- Cade said. “They are a great resource of knowledge.”
Companies will appreciate that students know how to network and that the connections that they make are positive.
“Networking is key when trying to secure your first job and in advancing your career,” Romano said. “It will help you find a mentor who can help guide you through a different stage of your personal life.”
Getting a job in a student’s field of study is possible: they just need to keep their eyes and mind open.
“Always remember anything is possible,” Norris said.
