Happy Pi Day! Let’s Talk Networking.

Hey readers! I hope you’re all enjoying a slice of your favorite pie today!

Let’s get down to it. I cannot emphasize enough how important networking is. It can be your foot in the door, your one- way ticket out of unemployment if you will. And for many people, it is. For many professional fields, it’s all about who you know. I disagree that who you know entirely overrides what you know- Nobody goes up to their doctor friend and becomes a surgeon by association. But maybe if you’ve graduated from medical school and know someone on a hospital board you can be offered a position! Think of your network as a spider web, and you as the spider. You start weaving your web through education, experiences and training. The more people you network with, the larger that web can expand. The reality is that not every person you encounter in life are jumping out of their boots to help you. But its the compassionate ones that are that make the difference. And its not like they have nothing to gain by helping you! If they vouch for you to get a job at a company and you exceed expectations, it only improves upon their likeability and credibility. And they never know; if they do you a favor now, you could do them a favor later!

So how do you go about networking? I am eternally grateful to my parents for instilling in me the value of always being on my A-game. In regards to what, you ask? I walk out the door and treat everyone I interact with as if they’re the recruiter at my dream company- from my teachers, to my internship boss to the pizza delivery man! You just never know who someone knows. If you always look at least somewhat put together and treat everyone around you with kindness and respect, people are more inclined to want to see you do well. If you can carry around business cards or a portfolio to distribute, even better!

This is not to say that networking is solely comprised by chance run-ins. There are organized events solely for the purpose of networking! For example, I would refer to the University of Florida’s New York-based alumni association “Gotham Gators” for opportunities. They already have one reason to like me, being that we’re both gator fans. You can also network across social media websites like Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. The more connections you have in different places, the more options you have to succeed!


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