How to Build a Professional Network Before Graduating

Networking is an integral part of furthering your career and gaining more opportunities. The benefits of networking include building personal confidence and gaining career awareness, as well as opening doors to further your career in the form of mentorships, job referrals, and professional references to state a few.

Starting a professional network can start where you usually are; mainly school and your workplace. Connecting with teachers, professors, internship supervisors, and even coaches and club advisors in the extracurriculars you attend are great places to start networking. Going forward, meeting people at work events, creative spaces, and the like will surely grow your professional network.

Introducing yourself to people is also very important in building your own professional network, and it starts with making a great first impression. Confidently introducing yourself, asking thoughtful questions, and showing genuine interest in the other person will make you memorable and establish rapport and trustworthiness.

Most networking advice will say to meet as many people as possible. However, quantity isn’t always the goal. The idea of the Six Degrees of Separation is that we’re all connected through a surprisingly small number of relationships. A good goal for networking is to build a network of six key mentors or professional connections who each bring something different to your career development.

Examples can be someone working in your dream career who can share industry insights, or an employer/internship supervisor who can speak about your work ethic, etc. Each of your peers will have their own network, and as your relationships grow, so does your career progression. Therefore, when thinking about your network, think; “who are my six?”

SUCCESS-ID TIP 💬

Focus on knowing six people who believe in your potential, and be someone they want to recommend.