The Power of Networking: Tips for Graduates

The Power of Networking: Tips for Graduates

You might think that Covid has put a bit of a damper on networking, but actually, for the shyer of individuals, it might have done you a favour. As it has been rather difficult and unsafe to organise events where people could mingle freely, shake hands, be served drinks… making connections have moved to cyberspace for the most part. 

That meant no more scary eye contact and live elevator pitches. Although perhaps less intimidating, there is still a knack for online networking that you need to master. It is a key part of your graduate job search, so it’s important to familiarise yourself with techniques to pursue your dream career after graduation.

 

Quick Recap: What Is Professional Networking and Who Should I Contact?

For those of you who have never engaged in any professional networking before, the main purpose of professional networking is to build long or short term relationships with potential employers and other professionals in your field. This is an extremely effective job searching technique and it also helps you to develop a number of sought-after career skills such as communication, commercial awareness, and teambuilding skills.

Networking is not only beneficial for finding out about exclusive work opportunities, but for gaining and exchanging key industry knowledge, too. By networking regularly, you can build a strong community of reliable professional contacts you can reach out to for future opportunities or career advice.

 

When it comes to networking, there isn’t a strict rule about who you should or shouldn’t be networking with. Honestly, the more people you network with, the better - so don’t limit yourself!

 

You may choose to network with people you already know: school friends, colleagues, teachers, family etc. Even if you choose to connect with someone outside of your industry, they may know a relevant person that they can connect you with or about an opportunity that will get your foot in the door…

Online Networking Tips during the Pandemic 

Online networking is your best bet at the moment to make your own luck and find opportunities that suit you. It is also a considerable time saver compared with attending face-to-face events after class and spending a couple of hours making contacts.

 

Luckily, thanks to LinkedIn and other professional networking channels, it’s extremely easy to connect and engage with potential employers and other professionals. In order to ensure that you make a good impression, follow our virtual networking steps... 

 

Step 1 - Clean up your Social Media - keep it professional!

Revise all your Social Media profiles, put photos you don’t want to lose onto private and delete anything that could put an employer off you. By this, we mean any inappropriate, drunk Facebook statuses or unprofessional tweets. Nowadays, it’s extremely common for companies and recruiters to search your Social Media, so make sure you come across as presentable, sociable, and mature. 

 

Step 2 - Use LinkedIn to your advantage  

Work on your LinkedIn presence, this is beneficial for any graduate.

 

Your Profile

  • First of all, the obvious: complete your profile! Too many students only bother to upload their most recent position and don’t bother even putting a cover photo. Empty profiles are extremely unlikely to be found through the algorithm. 
  • Use the headline to let people know your background in education, desired industry, and location.
  • Do take the time to fill out the bio and use keywords relevant to the sector you want to work in. 
  • When you add your work history (they can be experiences you had whilst studying - not every learning opportunity has to be paid!), bullet point your daily tasks and the skills developed.

A full profile demonstrates that you are a proactive graduate jobseeker who is building their personal brand. 

 

Reaching Out

Once your profile is of interest to others, you can begin connecting. 

  • First, add as many fellow students and professors as you can to build up your network and potential contacts.
  • Then you can begin to search specific companies in industries that interest you and click “people” to find the HR manager or ask someone in your desired field a question about their experiences leading up to obtaining the role. 
  • You can also search for specific titles of positions that you might want to pursue and contact current employees in those positions to find out whether their daily duties would suit you. 
  • Remember that the contacts of the person with whom you connect are visible to you, so scan these “second-degree connections”, too. 

Always bear in mind that LinkedIn is a professional platform, and so any communications should be suitably formal and polite. LinkedIn “notes” can be considered mini emails, so address future contacts with respect and sign off with your name.  

 

Step 3 - Join relevant career groups and engage with like-minded people in the community

To get your online networking off to a good start, join different groups. You can find a group for almost anything on Linkedin (and Facebook); from Graduate job seekers to English speaking jobs in Prague - just search for what you are looking for and join what's relevant to you. By joining different groups, you can share content with the rest of the community, read about industry trends, and even hear about interesting vacancies.

 

Step 4 - Attend webinars and virtual networking events 

Now that you have followed our virtual networking steps for beginners, it’s the best time to attend some  webinars and virtual events (like the Grad Job Hunt!) The people you meet through these events could help you find your dream opportunity. As we would recommend for face-to-face networking, do your research beforehand and define your objectives from attending the different events. Before you know it, you’ll be a superstar networker!
 
As you can see, both online networking and face-to-face networking are extremely effective techniques for finding employment. And to be a proactive graduate job seeker, it’s important to get yourself out there and start connecting and engaging with relevant people in your industry! After all, you never know who you may meet and what opportunity you may come across

Related offers

Recommended Articles

Do you know the feeling of not being able to find the equivalent of a word or expression in another language? Have a look at our ultimate list of untranslatable words in European Lan

Dec 6, 2022 by
Lucyna

When I reply saying that I speak 6.5 languages, people often laugh. Find out how learning new languages has changed my perspective.

Jul 4, 2017 by
Ema