By Tucker Paquette
@tpaquette17
How many times have you heard the phrase “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” when it comes to searching for jobs and internships? Pretty often, right?
There is no doubt that people’s natural abilities play a key role in their chances to secure valuable employment opportunities, but the skill of building connections and getting their foot in the door relationship-wise is just as important.
In this sense, any occasion where such networking is possible is an invaluable opportunity. Thankfully, for Springfield College students, those events are plentiful.
Within the past two weeks, the college has organized three networking fairs: the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Networking Fair on March 31 on campus, the PreMed/PreHealth Scholars Networking Night on April 2 and the Alumni Networking Event at the West Side YMCA in New York City on April 3.
I attended the latter event, and found it to be a very valuable experience. The first thing I was struck by was the variety of alums who were in attendance – there were people there from all kinds of fields, including public relations, physical therapy and marketing.
This is important because it makes the experience worthwhile for every student in attendance. People might have become disengaged if there were no alumni present in their field of interest, but the array of people at the event made that a non-issue and allowed for all students the chance to build worthwhile connections.
Along those lines, the connection aspect is important because that is the primary purpose of Springfield College’s networking events. While similar events elsewhere may focus on moving towards securing jobs, that isn’t how the event I was at was run.
In a speech to students and alumni prior to the start of the event, Springfield College Interim Director of Alumni Relations Maria Crawford noted how the goal was for students to build relationships that could be useful down the road, and not to spend the time job hunting and trying to nail down their best shot at finding a job.
This way of doing things allows the event to take on a low-stress feel, while also empowering students to strike up conversation with alums to learn more about their lives and careers. The significant amount of connections available at these events is the most beneficial part about them, in my opinion, and leaning into that is in the best interests of students.
A more laid-back, conversation-based setting at networking events is also helpful for alums, too, because it highlights just how accessible they are. I found that everyone I talked to in New York was more than happy to share the details of their current careers and the paths that led them there, once again showing that focusing on getting to know the alums and foster a relationship with them is the most effective way to earn their trust, respect and perhaps down the road, their help in finding work.
These factors all contributed to a valuable experience for me, as I left the event with several alums I intend to reach out to for more details about their work. Networking events are an invaluable resource for students, and while they won’t likely guarantee someone a job, the opportunity to connect with experts across various fields is one that should be appreciated.
(Photo courtesy of Springfield College/Flickr)