If your student is feeling overwhelmed about how to launch a career search, you can reassure them they’re not alone. We meet with students every day who find the entire process daunting. If there is one strategy we encourage all students to use, it’s networking.
We cannot emphasize enough how significant networking is to the career development process. When we surveyed 2019 Boston College graduates, 88 percent identified networking as their top job search resource.
What is networking?
Networking is the process of speaking with other people to exchange information and develop relationships. People network for a variety of reasons, including to learn something new, ask for advice, and build professional connections.
One of the most essential components in the career development process, networking is often the step students want to skip because they find it intimidating. What they often don’t realize is that they’ve been networking their entire lives.
I have a son who’s currently attending Boston College. When I asked him if he enjoys networking, he promptly answered, “Are you kidding me?” I followed up gently, asking who he turns to, other than family, for advice on selecting classes or looking for a summer job. His answer: friends and professors because he felt comfortable approaching them. In other words, he had conversations with trusted connections to ask for advice. This was the act of networking and he didn’t even realize he was doing it.
Networking does not have to be scary. It is simply the act of seeking out sources of information and building meaningful connections based on what you learn. Just as students find friends and administrators to help them transition to undergraduate life, they will need to find professionals to help them transition to life after college.
Why professional connections matter
Learning firsthand from someone familiar with an industry, field, or job function is an invaluable experience. We recommend students begin the networking process by conducting informational interviews with professionals who work in areas they’re interested in. These are low-pressure conversations in which students can ask questions to better understand the professional landscape.
Students should not wait until they are actively searching for a job or internship before starting to build their network of professional connections. It is something they can and should start immediately. Their connections can help provide insight on courses to take, organizations to join, how to gain experience in their field(s) of interest, and more.
Building and nurturing connections will also help open doors for your student, easing entry into what’s known as the “hidden job market”— a term used to describe the small number [typically estimated at 20 percent] of jobs that are not posted online.
“I was a bit surprised as to how much I enjoyed doing informational interviews. At first I worried it would be an immense amount of work or that it would be really awkward and overbearing for the people I was interested in interviewing. But I was very pleasantly surprised by how kind and insightful the people I interviewed were, how much I learned from them, and how much I simply enjoyed [the experience].”
How students can find new connections
The size of your student’s network will vary depending on their interests. Many students have a wide range, and will have to find connections in each. You may find your student is interested in an area in which you have few or no connections. If that’s the case, the BC alumni network is a great way to fill the gaps.
BC alumni are incredibly engaged and interested in helping students succeed in their careers. Witness the many alumni who actively volunteer at our career fairs and in our programming each year.
Students can access alumni through Eagle Exchange, our online platform designed to facilitate connections and conversations between BC alumni and students. The thousands of alumni on the platform represent most industries and major metropolitan areas throughout the country and around the globe.
“To me, reaching out to an alum on Eagle Exchange was a no-brainer. The platform had so much to offer and was easy to maneuver, so I was able to search for a direct result and find it. I knew that the alum on Eagle Exchange were committed to undergrads and willing to help us in any way they could, and to me that was an opportunity I wasn’t going to miss.”
Students can search for alumni by location, industry expertise, major, shared identity, and more. Alumni have all indicated topics they are willing to help advise on, including career exploration, job/internship search, choosing a major, critiquing a resume, and more. Once your student finds alumni they are interested in reaching out to, the platform facilitates messaging and setting up a time to meet.
We recommend students contact at least three alumni per month. Summer is a great time for them to reach out to alumni and set up conversations.
“The alum I reached out to actually set up networking calls with several other people in different positions in government, so I was able to speak with a wide range of individuals and see which career path was most attractive.”
How you can help your student
Emphasizing building connections is one of the best ways to support your student’s career search. No matter where your son or daughter is in the process, making connections will help them.
Here are a few ideas that will help you help your student succeed:
- Be open and ask questions. Check in with your student and ask about their career goals. They may not have concrete answers, and that’s OK. Asking questions helps open the door to these important conversations. Once you know where your student is in this process, you can better help them take their next steps.
- Encourage your student to join Eagle Exchange. The BC alumni network is one of our students’ greatest resources. Alumni have been through what your student is experiencing and they can help. Encourage your student to join and explore the platform to find alumni to connect with.
- Offer to connect your student to your own network. If your student expresses interest in certain industries in which you have connections, let them know. Offer to set up an introduction and encourage your student to set up an exploratory conversation to learn more about the field.
- Check in periodically. Because this is an intimidating process, it can be tough for students to stay committed to it. Check in to see how the process is going and offer extra encouragement where needed.
—Joseph Du Pont, J.D.
Associate Vice President, Career Services