Sorry to burst your bubble, but your classes alone will not guarantee career success. Getting the job of your dreams often depends on who you know rather than what you know. Make use of every opportunity that University of Maryland (UMD) offers to network. The more you network, the more doors will open for you. You’ll grow as a person and learn how to build long-lasting relationships. It’s never too early or too late to put yourself out there and give networking a try. After all, Schoolwork + Networking = Student Success…
Check out the 10 Networking Methods you need to try out before you graduate.
1. Talk to your classmates and professors
The easiest and most obvious way to network on campus comes from introducing yourself to your classmates and professors and creating a connection with them. This serves as great practice for networking and establishing connections in the professional world. Engaging with your classmates may feel awkward at first but it makes for great exposure therapy to get you out of your terp shell and start practicing your networking skills.
“I talk to everyone; I am the type of person that will talk to you on the plane. So naturally, I made friends with the high-achieving classmates and professors, and they really pushed me to graduate and find better opportunities. Some of my professors would email me saying ‘oh you should go into this job or check out this scholarship program’. I also think that some of these people you connect with at school come from very different realms of life like they are now doctors, lawyers, and accountants, they bring different things to your life than the people you network within your field,” University of Maryland graduate Jason Acevedo said.
You share more in common with your fellow terps than you think. Make sure your professors remember your name and face by sitting at the front of the room and coming to class five minutes earlier to talk to them. You can also try participating in class discussions and going to their office hours for individual attention if you ever need help with something you didn’t understand in class. Not only will this help you create a meaningful connection with your professors, but it will ensure you to keep yourself engaged during the lecture.
2. Connect online
Social media plays such an active role in our lives nowadays, we even check our notifications before getting out of bed in the morning. It gives us the opportunity to stay connected immediately and remotely with the rest of the world, hence the social in social media. It turned into the most popular and easiest way to network and connect with people in your field. Imagine the hustle your parents and grandparents went through in order to network.
By creating and remaining active on professional social platforms such as Google+, LinkedIn and Terrapins Connect, you can create a professional presence online, keep up with the trends of your industry, expand your professional network, advertise yourself and seek out new opportunities. Terrapins Connect serves as a platform exclusively for UMD students where they unlock opportunities, get exposure to different industries and jobs, get resume advice and perfect their interview skills.
3. Join a club or an organization
Joining a club, organization or professional trade association at UMD will guarantee you to meet, connect and network with the right people in the right place. It gives you the control to voluntarily place yourself in a space to meet people that share similar interests in your field, favorite hobbies or activities. These can range from a skate club to an accounting and business association.
“I was in so many clubs back in college, I was in the Student Business Association, the Investment Club, Enactus and Start-Up Shell. In the Investment Club, I remember we had a professional banker come in and talk to us about his job and handed out business cards, he said ‘hit me up when you’re done with school.’ The point is a lot of the things I do today for my job I got basic knowledge from these clubs. Every student should join at least one club before graduating,” University of Maryland graduate Marcos Solloso said.
By joining and staying active in these organizations you may find your niche and true passions, learn basic skills from your field of interest and ultimately grow professionally. If you don’t find an organization that meets your interests, consider starting one of your own. Joining an organization shows you get involved but founding a club/organization on campus demonstrates great leadership skills you can put on a resume.
4. Attend a career or internship fair
UMD hosts several career and internship fairs throughout the fall and spring semesters for students of every different major and academic path. These fairs open the doors to network with employers and explore all types of industries, jobs and positions that may interest you. These fairs present a great opportunity to compare and contrast all the different opportunities in a short period of time.
“I graduated five years ago now, and I remember that at the beginning I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I always tried to take advantage of my experience in college. One of the great things were career fairs because they gave me practice talking to professionals and alums and figure out what types of jobs I could get into and what employers were looking for. By the end of it, I always wished there was more time to network,” University of Maryland graduate Joshua Harrison said.
Make sure to attend a career or internship fair and register ASAP. Before attending, research who will attend so that you understand what each company does and what opportunities they offer. Update your resume and bring copies to hand out. Prepare to talk about yourself and try to take as many business cards as you can to connect online afterward.
5. Work on campus
A lot of students balance a part-time job along with full-time studying. If this idea interests you and you want to earn some extra money while in school, then consider working right on campus. It makes for a great opportunity to connect with professors, faculty, alumni and other fellow terps. For example, you can work at your favorite on-campus dining hall or coffee place. But most importantly, on-campus employers understand student demands, course schedules and share the same vacations and holidays.
6. Attend a meetup
Sometimes you may lose track of your end goals once you get your degree and you ask yourself now what? It happens to almost everyone, we get confused and need guidance from someone inside our field of interest. UMD answered our questions by hosting several meetups throughout the semester. Meetups consist of industry-specific informal networking events, created to connect UMD students with guidance and new opportunities within their field of interest.
“I really loved attending, it was a very casual and relaxed conversation. I want to keep attending these types of informal events because I always get so anxious when doing stuff like this,” University of Maryland senior Allison Gomez said.
These events used to take place in person but due to COVID, they may proceed virtually. Nevertheless, it makes for a great space to network. After the meetup, connect online with the host and send a thank-you email to start building your professional relationships. By reaching out with a thank you, this will speak volumes. Which causes them to think very highly of you and remember you in the future if an opportunity ever arises.
7. Workshops
UMD offers plenty of workshops throughout the fall and spring semesters. These will allow you to learn about different topics or subjects and further your education/career. These workshops consist of informal conversations that address common issues business professionals may face regularly. Besides furthering your education and your career, workshops make for a great opportunity to network with the professionals hosting the workshop and learn from them. Connect with them online and potentially follow up with a conversation.
8. Transfer and off-campus events
The majority of UMD students dorm on campus instead of commuting or transferring. Because of this, a lot of the people who commute or transfer from 2-year-colleges or other universities to UMD may experience a hard time fitting in or developing friendships. The Student Engagement office creates several events for transfer and off-campus terps to connect and share their experiences.
Every first Wednesday of the month they host a fun-filled breakfast for commuters from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Once a month they organize meetups, November’s 2021 meetup consisted of a hike to White Oak Canyon only for transfer and off-campus students. They also send a monthly newsletter to subscribers containing the events for the month, as well as resources and programs relevant to them.
9. Workplace visits
Pulling all-nighters and stressing about midterms or finals won’t fully prepare you for the reality of your aspiring career. UMD offers plenty of options that complement schoolwork and prepare you for adulthood. These options include Intern for a Day and Career Shuttles.
Intern for a day connects undergraduate students with parents, alumni and employers for short-term, in-person job shadowing opportunities to explore potential career fields and positions. Career shuttles basically stand for site visits. UMD finds interesting sites to bring a group of students to visit. During these visits, the host employer gives them a tour and tells them about the day-to-day responsibilities and skills used in the job. They also get to hear employees’ and interns’ firsthand experiences about their roles and careers. These types of experiences make for a perfect opportunity to open your eyes to the reality of what a typical day in the life of a professional in that particular industry looks like.
10. Attend events and panels
The University of Maryland offers plenty of events and panels that make for a great space to network with fellow terps, terp alums and professionals. These events act as field/major based. Terp alums and professionals can give insight into their field and give you memorable advice. Unlike everyone else, these events come at no cost for UMD students. So take advantage of the opportunity to get free career advice and insight into the industry while you can. In fall 2021, Dominique Jackson, known for her work in the hit FX series Pose, hosted an event at UMD to discuss her work in the series, upcoming projects, activism, awareness and an audience Q&A.
