What if I told you that you could network and have fun at the same time?
Yep!
And in today's video I'm going to be showing you all of the networking opportunities that
you can and should be taking advantage of on your college campus.
So stick around to find out, and in the meantime go ahead and hit that subscribe button.
I post new videos to this channel every Monday.
Hey there, I'm Jenna Rein, from theinternhustle.com, and this is Initiative Muscle Monday.
Helping you to start each week with an intentional step toward a successful future.
Let's do this!
When I talk to college students, networking is one of the things I get asked the most
questions about.
And at the beginning of this video, I mentioned that you can network and have fun at the same
time.
And I firmly believe that.
It's not something you should dread.
It's a skill that you can develop over time.
And the best way to do that is by consistently putting yourself out there, and having fun
while doing it.
And I have a lot of great ideas for how you can network on campus (and have fun), but
I'm saving the best for last.
So make sure you stick around to the end of the video to find out what that is.
On campus networking opportunity #1: student clubs and organizations.
Yep - there are tons of motivated and smart individuals on college campuses, just like
you.
And so your job is to find one or two clubs or student-led groups that resonate with you.
Things that you're interested in, things that you have a great skill set in.
Find them and join them.
And then while you're there, get to know people.
You never know who someone knows or who they're going to be someday.
So today's deadbeat could be tomorrow's CEO.
Yea, it happens.
So don't overextend yourself, but pick one or two and get involved.
And wherever possible if you can step into a leadership role with one of those clubs...it's
a great way to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and you're really going to grow
by being able to lead your peers and connecting with them on a consistent basis.
Tacking on to this -- rec sports 1-credit activity classes.
Have some fun while you're at it!
So whether it's a dodgeball or flag football team, or a 1-credit class that you can take.
I mean I took boxing (yea, boxing) outside of my comfort zone.
Really cute mouthguard and all.
But it really pushed me to meet people outside of my standard curriculum.
And at a university as large as the one that I went to, that was key.
On-campus networking opportunity #2: professors.
Let's talk about your professors.
You have access to some brilliant minds while you're in school.
They have office hours, they're usually more than happy to engage with you before or after
class, and a lot of them have research projects they're working on.
And these research projects connect them to people all over the world.
Just think about some of the people that they have in their corner.
So if you take the time to create a handful of relationships with professors on campus,
you'll not only benefit from their mentorship, but potentially their network as well.
Let's pause for a moment, because I love learning where all of you are from.
So tell me -- where is campus for you?
Go ahead and give your school a shoutout in the comments below.
And if you're liking this video so far, give it a like.
Let's get back to it.
On-campus networking opportunity #3: career fairs.
I actually have a full video all about career fair preparation tips for you and I will link
that up here in the upper right hand corner.
You can check it out later after this video if you'd like.
But in general career fairs are a great networking opportunity for you to practice your networking
skills.
And what I mean by networking skills, are first and foremost your ability to story tell.
How do you showcase what makes you unique and different from the rest of the students
on campus when you're talking to a bunch of different recruiters at a career fair?
And on top of that, it's your active listening and your ability to ask thoughtful questions.
How do you engage with the person that you're having a conversation with?
As best selling author, Dale Carnegie said, "To be interesting, be interested."
This concept goes for all of your networking opportunities, but career fairs are a great
way for you to practice this at scale.
On-campus networking opportunity #4: friends.
Yea, pretty straightforward I know, but at the same time you'd be surprised how many
people aren't talking to their friends about their career goals.
And it's such a missed opportunity.
Because believe it or not, your friends are not going around all day thinking about you,
and how they can help you get an internship.
Nope, they're thinking about themselves.
And so you need to be having more than just the surface level conversation with them.
You need to get beyond your chemistry homework, or the kid in class that you have a major
crush on, and you need to be asking them about their goals and what their dream internships
are.
And then vice versa, share yours with them.
Plant the seed.
Because if they're having a conversation with someone down the line that could help you
in your career, you want them to bring up your name in conversation.
Actually some of the career moves that I've made in my life have come out of friend referrals.
Some of my best career moves have come that way.
And I can say that my friends would never have even thought to put my name in the hat
for some of those, had I not been open with them and had conversations leading up to that
point to let them know that I was interested, and looking to make a complete career shift.
And for the fifth and final on-campus networking opportunity in this video.
And if you remember I said I was saving the most fun for last!
...drum roll please....Tailgating!
Yea, guys...take advantage of this free social event on your campus and get to networking.
Think about it -- It's automatically bringing together a ton of people with a common interest.
Assuming you're tailgating with people from your team.
But get out there and start having conversations with these people.
Genuinely get to know someone over a game of cornhole.
Because you never know who they are, or who they may know...common theme here, right?
But think about it.
You could end up at a tailgating event where you're talking to one of the biggest boosters
of your university, and not even realize it.
And that probably means that they're in a pretty high up leadership role within their
organization and potentially at a business that is looking for interns.
So make sure that you're going beyond your sorority, fraternity, dorm room party, and
get out to the parking lot and start tailgating with some people outside of your day-to-day
network.
It is one of the hands down best ways I can think to network while you're in college.
And to be honest, not enough people are taking advantage of it.
So there you have it guys -- some on-campus networking opportunities that you can start
taking advantage of...today.
And like I said, tailgating is my favorite.
I mean, cheering on your team and networking?
Win-win!
If you have any other on-campus networking opportunities that I didn't mention in today's
video, I'd love to hear about them.
Please leave it in the comments below.
And next week, I'll be back with a video on off-campus networking opportunities.
I'll be linking that on the next screen once the video goes live, but in the meantime go
ahead and make sure you're subscribed to this channel so that you don't miss a thing.
(beep!)
Now I'm excited for football season.
It's time already, right?