The last few days I've been getting things ready for our last Academic Success Workshop of the year. (By the way, it's on "Stress Management" and it's at 2:00 in F307 this Friday - you should come!) But that got me thinking about the last workshop we did, on "Networking for Students," which is a topic that I've grown to appreciate over the past few years.My advice to an incoming student would be that it's never too early to start networking.
What is networking (you may ask)? Essentially networking is just meeting new people and growing a network of contacts. It can be anyone from classmates, local businesspeople, members of community organizations etc.
And why would you want to do that (you may ask)? Well, the saying "it's not what you know it's who you know" is often so true. Planning a fundraiser? Well you'll have a network of people to encourage to come to the event, help out, or donate money. Planning on getting a job after graduation? Well, having a network of contacts who may know someone who's looking for an employee will help. And networking doesn't just work one way, you can then do the same for other people. Human beings are social creates - we're meant to meet new people, which will broaden our outlook towards the world.
But how do I network (you may ask)? It can start with something as simple as talking to your classmates. Other great places to meet new people are while volunteering, at special lectures/receptions and at conferences. It can be intimidating sometimes to go up to new people you have never met, but it gets easier every thing, plus it helps if you're prepared.
But how do I prepare (you may ask)? Start off by considering what you want to say, and what you're looking for. Anticipate the questions (ex. so who are you? be sure to have an answer that doesn't stop at your first name). The best advice that I've got (from my friend Sharon) is to be prepared with questions (ex. what projects are you working on right now?). It's great for combating that awkward silence, and you may learn something interesting about this new contact.
For more networking advice, you can contact The Learning Network at mentor@nipissingu.ca (who did the workshop on "Networking as a Student.")
What is networking (you may ask)? Essentially networking is just meeting new people and growing a network of contacts. It can be anyone from classmates, local businesspeople, members of community organizations etc.
And why would you want to do that (you may ask)? Well, the saying "it's not what you know it's who you know" is often so true. Planning a fundraiser? Well you'll have a network of people to encourage to come to the event, help out, or donate money. Planning on getting a job after graduation? Well, having a network of contacts who may know someone who's looking for an employee will help. And networking doesn't just work one way, you can then do the same for other people. Human beings are social creates - we're meant to meet new people, which will broaden our outlook towards the world.
But how do I network (you may ask)? It can start with something as simple as talking to your classmates. Other great places to meet new people are while volunteering, at special lectures/receptions and at conferences. It can be intimidating sometimes to go up to new people you have never met, but it gets easier every thing, plus it helps if you're prepared.
But how do I prepare (you may ask)? Start off by considering what you want to say, and what you're looking for. Anticipate the questions (ex. so who are you? be sure to have an answer that doesn't stop at your first name). The best advice that I've got (from my friend Sharon) is to be prepared with questions (ex. what projects are you working on right now?). It's great for combating that awkward silence, and you may learn something interesting about this new contact.
For more networking advice, you can contact The Learning Network at mentor@nipissingu.ca (who did the workshop on "Networking as a Student.")
Attaching yourself to random facebook causes concerning Nipissing doesn't count either.
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