Job-Seeker’s Journal Part 5: Networking & Making Contacts

Create a professional social media presence and take every opportunity to make new contacts.

Networking tips for job-seekers

Network, network, network. It’s what any college or career adviser will tell you is most important as a job-seeker, and it’s something that never goes away—no matter how far into your career path you are. Be genuine in making contacts, and the rest will follow with ease.

1. List 10 contacts you already know

Think strategically about who you already know in your intended professional field. Do you have an idea of the city or town in which you want to work? List friends and colleagues already working in these geographical areas or who are also working in an area that interests you. Try networking with anyone who may have a promising contact or connection.

Bob Martin, Assistant Dean for Internships and Career Placement at Penn State, calls this networking list the “Magic 10.” These 10 people are individuals who can help you advance your career and give you tips and further connections for professional success. It could be friends from academic clubs or former internship supervisors. Send them a friendly email explaining your interest in the job field and ask if they have any advice, or better yet, see if you can talk in person over lunch or coffee.

2. Reconnect with former supervisors

Intern Queen founder Lauren Berger advises that you contact previous internship supervisors three times per year—fall, spring, and summer—to show you haven’t forgotten them and care about what they’ve been up to lately. It doesn’t need to be (and indeed shouldn’t be) a lengthy email. Just a few sentences asking how they have been and bringing up any new projects they may be working on will help you strengthen your personable skills.

Three times per year is a good balance so your emails are a refreshing chance to update one another on anything new and to maintain a strong professional network.

3. Stay in touch on social media

When it comes to using social media as a job-seeker, it’s important to choose wisely the platforms through which you connect with work colleagues. Platforms like Facebook and Snapchat are generally better left for personal use, but others like LinkedIn and Twitter are great for building a professional online personal brand. These platforms are a simple way to connect with professionals within your network and access frequent updates on what they’re doing. Social media also allows you to interact with these online updates to comment or like their posts as a communication method without much effort needed.

Successful social media networking can surprise job-seekers in ways they would never expect. You never know how much one person in your network can help you land a job, and you should take every possible opportunity to meet new people. Even if they aren’t in your intended field, they may know somebody who is and can get you in touch with them. Short and simple updates throughout the year will help you stay in touch and make the most out of the contacts within your network.

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