The Art of Networking

Are you wondering what you can do this summer to boost your chances of landing that great job or internship? My advice is to start networking, if you haven't already.

Networking is the art of building alliances. It's not necessarily contacting everyone you know when you are looking for a job or internship and asking if they know of any openings. Networking starts long before a job/internship search, and it's possible you have already been networking and don't know it. You are networking when you visit with friends, friends of the family, and parents of friends and faculty, strike up conversations with neighbors or someone waiting in line at the grocery store, when you volunteer, and when you talk with co-workers or customers at your summer job.

Networking is constantly cited as the number 1 way to get a new job. I'm sure you have heard everyone say that 80% of the jobs available never get advertised. This is how you get them! The people who do the hiring would much rather talk to someone who's been recommended by someone they know or already have working. Try networking for the remainder of the summer - I bet you'll be surprised at how fast your network grows!