Professional Networks for Students
Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow
UIS Professor Emeritus
Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow
UIS Professor Emeritus
https://sites.google.com/view/professional-networks/home
First: A word about presentation format. For the past fifteen years, we have been "power-point-less" at the UIS Center for Online Learning, Research and Service. Rather than using a static, aging format, we prefer to create Web pages for our presentations to assure that they are easily accessible, updatable, and always available. I will not be following every link. The intent is that this will serve as a reference meta-site for you on the topic.
Please follow along on your own device (or visit at a later date) to delve more deeply into the links and videos that interest you.
"It's not what you know; it's who you know that matters" - Common quote
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“It’s not who you know that matters—it’s who knows you that’s important. Personal branding builds up your reputation to the point where you have a presence even in your absence.” - Jerod Kintz
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1234566-it-s-not-who-you-know-that-matters-it-s-who-knows-you
Students who graduated during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 reported fewer job offers and less access to university career centers than the previous class, according to a new survey out today from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Graduating seniors received an average of 0.83 job offers in 2021, down from 0.93 for the Class of 2020. And students visited their institution’s career center an average of 1.19 times in 2020-21, compared to 1.55 visits in 2019-20, which NACE says is likely due to the pandemic.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/11/03/virtual-job-recruiting-expands-access-students
The benefits and the overall impact of networking have received a lot of study in recent years. The results of these reports vary to some extent, but all agree that it's definitely a popular way to get a job. Some experts say that 70% of people ended up in their current position thanks to networking. Others say it's more like 80% or even 85%.
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Experts say that networking is good for your career. After all, research shows that 70 percent or more of positions are filled through networking. Those who choose to skip it clearly put themselves at a disadvantage....
Leverage alumni organizations
Attend trade shows and conferences
Look for professional associations, roundtables, and study groups
Conduct informational interviews
Remember virtual networking, too
https://www.topresume.com/career-advice/build-professional-network-from-scratch
Recommendations for student action/initiative:
Build networking into your everyday routine
Get involved on campus
Pay a visit to your campus career center
Develop your online presence - notably LinkedIn
Be open to new connections
Don't be afraid to make the first move (I have ~3,800 connections and always accept requests from students - this means when they comment or respond to any of my postings, their posting gets read by many others)
Maintain your networks
https://www.topresume.com/career-advice/networking-tips-for-college-students
Faculty/Departmental Strategies:
Recommend that all students create a professional LinkedIn account in their first class in the major. Connect with the students from your own professional account. Encourage colleagues, especially professionals who may be adjuncts, to connect with students they get to know in their classes. The purpose is to establish and begin building a network early, when students are years away from graduation or semesters away from certificate completion.
Create an assignment that requires students to contact current managers and leaders in their field. Perhaps this might be in the context of a report on the current environment in the career field, identifying areas of growth and emphasis. Require in-person or email interviews that elicit direct quotes from the professional. Put an emphasis on students following up on their interview with a LinkedIn connection request.
Assign students to write a feature article for the student newspaper, department newsletter or another outlet such as a blog, YouTube or radio station. In doing so, have the students include first-person interviews with leaders (employers) in their field.
Strongly encourage students to follow up with their contacts through LinkedIn messaging every semester. These can be just a brief update such as “I wanted to share with you that I completed a case study on …” or “I wanted to let you know that I met with your colleague to talk about the opportunities they saw in our field.” In short, keep the virtual relationship alive.
Assign each student to invite a corporate leader or manager to make a presentation to the class or to be the principal in a question-and-answer session. These can include discussion board follow-ups. Encourage students to leverage this contact to build an online relationship.
Internships and job shadowing can be among the best experiences. These can build a memory of the student, especially as they provide the one-on-one time to build a relationship. In between the two are micro-internships that range from half a day to a full week of on-the-job working.
Use e-portfolios. If your university does not offer a free e-portfolio to students, help them find a basic free or inexpensive portfolio. Have students put exemplary assignments -- including grading where appropriate -- in the e-portfolio. Suggest that they share the e-portfolio with the contacts in the student’s network. Canvas has an e-portfolio option, COLRS can help you. Alternatively, there are many free options online (including Google Sites in which this presentation was devloped).
In a capstone class, invite a number of human resources managers to join the class either in person or online. Include a representative range of types and sizes of employers. In these sessions encourage questions about criteria for selection of applicants for interviews. As in previous cases, encourage students to follow up with LinkedIn connections.
Not all connections need be at the highest level -- encourage connections with entry-level workers as well. These contacts are often great networkers about trends and plans for job openings.
When the coronavirus pandemic first hit, thousands of college students saw their internship opportunities dry up. One estimate determined that roughly half of internships were canceled due to widespread disruptions.
This article raises some options in arranging internships:
Another good connection source is through the Alumni Association
https://www.uis.edu/alumni - with 44,000 members!
Online: Trending Now: Ray's bi-weekly columns in Inside Higher Ed
https://www.insidehighered.com/users/ray-schroeder
Ray's Daily Curated Reading Lists and Social Media. Blogs with daily updates on the field of online / continuing learning in higher education:
UPCEA Professional, Continuing and Online Education Update http://continuingedupdate.blogspot.com/
Economics and Change in Higher Education
http://recessionreality.blogspot.com/
OER Update
https://OERupdate.blogspot.com/
Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayschroeder
Twitter @rayschroeder
https://twitter.com/rayschroeder
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rschr1@uis.edu ~ rayschroeder@gmail.com ~ ray@upcea.edu
@rayschroeder
Professor Emeritus, Senior Fellow
University of Illinois Springfield
Senior Fellow, University Professional and Continuing Education Assn.
217-206-7531