I haven't thought about wording it this way "meeting people", but have said the same thing. With my students' vocation (Culinary Arts), meeting and interacting with people is a crucial attribute to the industry as well as incredibly easy for them to do. It's probably one of the easiest career to bring up in casual conversation, so I encourage them to "tell everyone you know and everyone you meet that you're in culinary school"....everyone loves to talk about food and restaurants! I encourage them to always have business cards ready too, since you never know who you'll meet at a party, at a bar, and a family reunion, etc.
Susan,
Employer panels are a fantastic idea-I am definitely going to recommend this to other participants.
Elizabeth Kemler
The students at my school usually enroll because they were inspired by someone already in the profession. When we begin to talk about networking, my first response is to direct them back to that person that got them thinking about the profession in the first place!
I also host employer panels where students are encouraged to come in with lots of questions and there is time built in at the end for students to introduce themselves and get answers to any questions there wasn't time for. The students all clamor to meet the employers... and I point out to them that they were just 'networking'. This seems to build confidence as they turn to make their lists of friends and acquaintances.
Gary,
I completely agree with your approach. Our population of students/graduates are very entry level and often times feel intimidated by the word "networking". We discussed ways to address "networking" with them so they are comfortable. We will try "meeting people" in the future with our students.
Thanks,
Kevin
David,
I have certainly found this to be true, the question is, how do you get students to really believe it? The students may feel they don't have much of a professional network which is why I encourage teachers to help them build one-by taking the class to job fairs or other local networking events.
Elizabeth Kemler
By explaining to them that most of the 'right-fitting' jobs are found through one's network. If you speak with people who have been at their job for a long time and are happy, and find out how they got that job, most of the time they will explain that they 'knew someone who worked there' or 'knew someone who knew someone who told them about that job', etc...
Thank you. Yes we try and arrange for guests speakers a few times each term.
Traci,
What an excellent idea. Do you ever have people from these organizations come to your classes to speak?
Elizabeth Kemler
We encourage our students to join the local chapter of organizations that are directly ties to their career interest. for example our private investigation students attend monthly chapter meetings for licensed private investigators to build their networking tools.
Leah,
This can definitely give a little boost of hope at the starting point of the job search-which as we all know can be long and arduous!
Elizabeth Kemler
I think reminding them and having them be aware of their current networks/contacts is a great way to get them excited. They go through their list of friends on facebook and write down potential leads and have an instant starting point.
Debra,
This sounds like a good idea..it's often people we already know that are able to connect us with job leads.
Elizabeth Kemler
We encourgae our students to ask their family, friends, and neighbors about job openings. We let them know that their instructors are professional welders with actual work expereince. Connnecting with the instructors can open doors that the Career Services may be unaware of.
Regina,
That's always a good idea.
Elizabeth Kemler
I have them contact the people on their list and discuss what they will say during a reference call to ensure that the reference will be benefitial to their job search.
Regina,
It's a good idea to start brainstorming like that. What do you have them do as a follow up once they come up with people they can network with?
Elizabeth Kemler
I ask my students how many people they know who they could network with when finding a job. It gets them thinking about how much control they have over their own job search. It also encourages them to seek out opportunities that are not openly posted.
K.C.,
You know this is actually the first time I've heard this suggestion..I will try to remember to pass it on!
Elizabeth Kemler
I encourage my students to join the professional organization in their chosen field. When meetings are held, it is a great way to meet others and obtain information that can be quite useful.
Pamela,
I agree-it's definitely a good idea to get some experience with a desirable employer. Job fairs are also a great way to discover new opportunities for students.
Elizabeth Kemler
