{"id":1615,"date":"2019-03-06T23:26:13","date_gmt":"2019-03-06T23:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-the-words\/?page_id=1615"},"modified":"2024-08-02T16:25:54","modified_gmt":"2024-08-02T16:25:54","slug":"networking-is-not-a-dirty-word","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/the-words\/the-words-march-2019\/networking-is-not-a-dirty-word\/","title":{"rendered":"Networking Is Not a Dirty Word"},"content":{"rendered":"

Miriam Moore-Keish \u201919<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First Thursday time came around again! On February 7, Humanities students gathered in the Harmon Room of the library to enjoy soup and to address a word that strikes fear in the hearts of all who hear it: <\/span>networking<\/span><\/i>. Should we really fear it, though? According to Susanna Drake, chair of the Religious Studies department, we absolutely should not. \u201cYou don\u2019t even have to use the word \u2018networking,<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Drake invited two Macalester alumnae to share their networking tips and tricks: Julia Hobart \u201915 and Jordan Whitman \u201917. Hobart is currently working with the Minnesota Council of Churches and playing with her band while Whitman is working in a caf\u00e9 and organizing queer Jewish collectives in the Twin Cities. All three touched on some anxieties and questions posed by the Macalester students present.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First things first: What even <\/span>is <\/span><\/i>networking? Hobart defined it as \u201cjust meeting people.\u201d She continued, \u201cIt\u2019s when you take someone outside of your network and put them in your network. Reach out to people you admire. It\u2019s like going to a concert and you go up [to the band] afterward and say \u2018I like your music,\u2019 and they say, \u2018Have you heard this album?\u2019 It snowballs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what does networking look like? I know I have an image in my head of stuffy, important CEOs and starving young professionals thrown into a room together, expected to fight to the death for employment. Hobart made the important point that networking is often unintentional. \u201cYou find yourself in spaces you care about with similar-minded people,\u201d she said, \u201cI don\u2019t often network intentionally, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s random.\u201d Now what if we do find ourselves in intentional networking spaces? Apps & Alums <\/span>is <\/span><\/i>coming up today, March 7, after all. There is somewhat of a formula according to Drake and Hobart:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"First
To the students convened for the First Thursday on February 7, Jordan Whitman \u201917 said, \u201cApply for what you\u2019re not qualified for. Say \u2018I can learn things. I can work.\u2019 Don\u2019t settle.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Approach someone and greet them. Whitman added that you can talk about the weather or any sort of small talk that forms a connection.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Say what you know about them and what you admire. \u201cIt\u2019s more natural to them than it feels to you,\u201d Hobart encouraged, \u201cjust don\u2019t put the burden on them to come up with what to say.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Introduce yourself. Drake encouraged students to say one sentence about their past, one about their present, and one about their future career goals or missions.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Leave the conversation. It might feel uncomfortable to just leave a conversation but Hobart reminded students that at formal networking events, they don\u2019t need an excuse to walk away. According to Whitman, if you are at a loss for an out, refreshments are always a good escape. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    In this Internet age, many students have LinkedIn or Handshake profiles. \u201cHow much do you use LinkedIn or Handshake?\u201d one student asked. Whitman and Hobart responded in unison, \u201cNever.\u201d (Sorry, CDC!) \u201cIn-person interactions are <\/span>always<\/span><\/i> more valuable,\u201d Whitman said. Hobart added, \u201cMost hires are based on person-to-person interactions and people testifying word-of-mouth that you\u2019re passionate. Do what you\u2019re passionate about and people will be drawn to you.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Whether you network through technology or in person, Drake said to \u201cbe yourself and people will know who you are going to be.\u201d Hobart echoed Drake, identifying the \u201cmisconception that you have to be a certain way to be worthy of attention.\u201d She said, \u201cyou don\u2019t have to reshape yourself to be part of someone\u2019s network, you just have to bring them in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now that we have some techniques and, hopefully, some more confidence about networking under our belts, how do we get started? How have we already gotten started? Getting advice is a form of networking, the alumnae reminded us. Relationships with professors and peers are already the results of networking. Drake encouraged students to use office hours. \u201c[Professors] are here because we love helping students,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a burden. We are part of your network built in by virtue of you being Macalester students.\u201d Drake reminded students of the resources available to them through the Career Development Center. \u201cThe CDC has a vast alumni database. Alumni are begging to help Mac students and Mac grads. It is available and will be for the rest of your lives,\u201d she said, \u201cMacalester is a network that is always there for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    First Thursdays take place on the first Thursday of every month in the Harmon Room. Join us for the next First Thursday at 4:45 on March 7: Interviewing 101.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Miriam Moore-Keish \u201919 First Thursday time came around again! On February 7, Humanities students gathered in the Harmon Room of the library to enjoy soup and to address a word that strikes fear in the hearts of all who hear it: networking. Should we really fear it, though? According to Susanna Drake, chair of the […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":913,"featured_media":0,"parent":1613,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1615","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/the-words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/the-words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/the-words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/the-words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/913"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/the-words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1615"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/the-words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7375,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/the-words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1615\/revisions\/7375"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/the-words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/the-words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}