Now is the time to expand your network. It is a never ending process. You will need other people in your life at some time or another.
Maybe you have read the book; The World is Flat, By Thomas Friedman. If you haven’t, you should. He does a great job explaining how much closer the world is today than a few hundreds years ago, because of technologies such as cell phones and the internet, then comparing countries education and job opportunities. But I think that the world is also small. Not in a geographical way, but in an “Everyone knows everyone” way. I have a few real life examples of how this proves to be true in my life and in the business world.
Example #1: The City
I was sitting outside in a café in Munich, Germany this past summer enjoying dinner. A college aged guy walks past me with an “Akron” shirt. This is where I am originally from. Of course, I had to ask him if he was from Akron too, and we ended up having a bunch of the same friends. All the way over in Germany, I met someone who was from my small hometown, and still keep in contact with him today.
Example #2: The Family
Before I studied abroad (something that is a great experience, but that’s for another post) I spoke with one of my professors. His son had gone to Germany a few summers before and stayed with a family. After exchanging contact information, I sent the family an email. While I was studying, the family invited me to stay with them for a weekend. They ended up being Sister City delegates and we continued to keep in contact even after my return to the states. Two semesters later and after endless hours of searching for an internship abroad, I came up with no results. It was because of this family and the people they know, that I was able to work abroad this past summer. In addition, they let me stay at their house and included me as a part of their family. I ended up getting a job offer at the German firm I worked for this summer. It was only because of them and my professor that I was given this opportunity.
Example #3: The Reference
The interview for my current place of employment was also a small world incident. My interviewer had seen my resume and saw where I had previously worked. He ended up knowing someone at that office and called her to get information on me. She was not listed as a reference, nor would I have used her as one. Thankfully my reputation was good and she had good things to say about me to him. It was his first impression of me, and I realized how important reputation can be. Then the night after the interview I was at a dinner party, and met a woman who works with the guy I interviewed with. She was going to see him the next day, and told me she would drop my name to him. I ended up receiving this job, and really have enjoyed it so far.
It’s like that Disney song, “It’s a small world after all…” and my advice to you:
- Gain a good reputation; it is so much easier to keep a good reputation than to rebuild a bad one.
- Continue to meet new people, be the one to extend your hand first and take a genuine interest in their life.
- Build relationships with professors, even after college.
- Never stop expanding your network. You never know where you will be and who you might need to know.
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Allison Dagilis is a Training Analyst at a solar energy company, focusing on development of employees' learning. She has traveled and worked overseas, where she focused on international consulting through communications and continuous improvement.
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