You might have a picture-perfect resume. You might satisfy all the basic qualifications. Your credentials might even get past the robotic sorters looking through thousands of resumes for specific “buzz words”. But at the end of the day, if you are just a name on a job application, you might not get invited to that first round interview. So how do you combat this nightmare? Well, a good first step is to improve and expand your network.
Networking involves establishing new connections with others in your field of interest as well as strengthening existing relationships with colleagues, bosses, pupils, and people you briefly met at a conference or meeting. You do not even need to know the person you are trying to connect with, as a mutual contact might be willing to make an introduction. As a result, networking is a varied process occurring in many different forms.
How do you normally go about networking? You might attend conferences for an organization, society, or research area to meet new people. If you are in school, you might visit a professor’s office hours to make a new face-to-face connection. You might attend job fairs both in school and after graduation to talk to new companies. Finally, you might visit an alumni event to establish a connection with someone who graduated years ahead of you but who shares a similar field of interest.
However, what do you do when there is a global pandemic, that halts all in-person events? Well, fortunately we have the internet. To meet someone new, it is now as simple as firing up your choice virtual meeting software and connecting to a virtual event. This shift in the way that events are organized might last longer than the pandemic. We are no longer geographically limited in our ability to attend informational sessions and coffee chats.
In the remainder of this article, we will look at three specific ways you can further yourself in the job or graduate school application process through networking, even during the pandemic.
1. LinkedIn
What is the simplest way to build connections? How about through a platform where you click a button to “connect” directly with others? This platform is LinkedIn, and it is the single most important tool for furthering your career. Start by building your profile, adding your current position, education, experiences, and skills. Make sure you add a clear headshot so those who know you will easily recognize your photo. Look up and connect with classmates, colleagues, and friends to start building your network.
When you begin to aggressively build your network before applying to jobs or schools, keep these things in mind. Write a brief objective on your profile so you can convey what you are looking for. Reach out to connections that share mutual friends and attach a note explaining who you are. Be careful about what information you include in those notes. Practice on some close connections first before tackling larger ones. You will gradually see your network grow and expand. There are many other tips for building your LinkedIn profile that you can find through Google or YouTube.
There are of course other social media platforms that allow you to “connect” with others. However, none of them are as professional as LinkedIn or have as many users. You may want to look at research-based platforms such as ResearchGate and programing environments such as GitHub.
2. Information Sessions and Coffee Chats
There are two other ways to build your network with potential recruiters and employers: virtual information sessions and coffee chats.
Information sessions are typically hour-long presentations all about a particular company, its functions, and its employees. Run by recruiters, current employees, or a mixture of the two, they usually go over who they are, who they are hiring, what the timeline looks like, and why they chose said company. You may or may not get to see who else is on the call, depending on what software is being used; however, you most definitely will learn the names of all the speakers. As a result, you can build your network by reaching out to them via email after the event or finding them on LinkedIn. Who knows, they might just be the person who gives you that first round interview, so it pays to reach out and get to know them.
The other type of event commonly seen is a coffee chat. This event is much less formal in nature, and usually consists of current employees or recruiters fielding questions from potential new hires. Rather than being all about the company and its benefits, coffee chats are often more about the attendees, answering their questions or learning about their interests. This is not to say that the speakers will not talk about the company, but it is usually much more relaxed and informal in nature. This is a great way to meet new people, establish connections, and reach out later via email or LinkedIn. Another benefit, especially from students in non-target schools, is that these events are often open to all, rather than specifically for one school. This opens opportunities for those in smaller schools to attend and build connections.
3. Alumni Networks
Finally, utilize any alumni networks that might have connections to the organizations you are targeting. Whether it is your high school, college, fraternity or sorority, honor society, glee club, sports team, or theater troupe, find new connections through your shared experience or past interactions. Many of these alumni groups exist on LinkedIn or Facebook, so search through the members to make connections. If these do not exist yet, consider starting one! Invite the people you already know to get the ball rolling. The more people who join, the more connections you are exposed to, and the easier it will be to build your network. Send a message to any possible connections, stating your common interest, and stating that you would like to connect with them.
Be confident. Be adaptable. But most importantly be yourself!
Ricky Hollenbach is a third year Ph.D. student at Duke University in Mechanical Engineering, studying unsteady aerodynamics and mechanical vibrations in jet engines and turbomachinery. He aspires to become a management consultant in the aerospace and defense fields.
Image: Pixabay