Tip #24: It's never too early to start networking

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.")

Tip # 17: Try Casual Work

I am really fortunate to have a great job on campus. It's a 10 hour-a-week job with the Learning Network, coordinating the Academic Success Workshops. http://www.nipissingu.ca/mentor/workshops.asp

But, it is rather difficult to get a job these days. Many businesses aren't hiring students, especially if they will only be here for 8 months of the year. Nipissing University offers a Work Study program that enables needy students to work part-time on campus. But what if you don't qualify? Or what if you can't commit to a 10 hour a week job?

Here's a solution (that I wish I'd heard about before fourth year): Casual Work.

Casual work is just what the name suggests - a few hours of work for a few days or weeks. You may get a job for a week filing in the education office, covering an office for an hour when they have a meeting, doing coat check for a big dinner, a day's work helping with a job fair at school, or two weeks of envelope-stuffing.

You simply go to the Office of Student Development, fill out a form, add your resume and schedule, and they will contact you when job opportunities come up. The nice thing about casual work is that if you happen to be super busy that week, you can just turn down the potential job. It's a great way to earn a little extra cash, without a long-term commitment.