What to do when everyone else seems to have industry “ins” but you

It can be difficult not to feel at a disadvantage when all of your friends or classmates seem to know someone at companies in the communications industry. It’s frustrating, especially when networking and having someone “on the inside” can be so helpful in getting your application noticed. While we can’t change who your family knows, we CAN work on who you know, and – more importantly – who knows YOU!

This will take some effort but even the students who have someone helping them in the industry will have to work on expanding their list of contacts through networking. Keep in mind that true networking isn’t “schmoozy,” insincere conversations, though many may think that’s what it is. True networking that will actually help you get information, insight, and usually a fair amount of help getting you where you want to go means making genuine connections, actually getting to know contact as people, and maintaining those relationships over time. This is a career skill that you’ll use your whole life!

Networking does take time and effort, but everyone can do it, even if they don’t feel comfortable at first. Some people (think: extroverts, people who love to talk, and those who meet new people all the time) feel completely at ease jumping into this from the start; others (introverts, those who are less outspoken, and anyone who feels a little anxiety when approaching new people) take a little time and practice to feel comfortable with the process. Regardless of which type of person you are, it is totally within your ability to make a network of contacts who know who you are and what you want to do.

Another piece of good news is that there are MANY ways to reach out to people these days, and the Newhouse CDC can help you polish your outreach and find people at the companies you’re interested in. For graduating students, the first step is our Job Hunt Series. These sessions are for anyone within six to 12 months of graduation. We teach you how people find jobs and how to organize a proactive, self-directed search in the first seminar, while the second seminar is devoted to talking about how to network to develop great contacts in your industry, which, in turn, will help you find a job. The Job Hunt Series will also grant attending students access to the CDC’s alumni database, the Newhouse Network. You can view the schedule for these seminars and sign up at bit.ly/cdcseminars.

For those students who are not within that window of graduation, we can still help! Make a list of the companies that you’re interested in interning for this summer, then come into the CDC (313 Newhouse 3) or use Handshake to set up an appointment. Bring your list of companies to that appointment and then we can talk you through how to approach people professionally. We will then use the list to see who we can find in our alumni database and give you some additional tips on how to use some other great networking resources effectively to find people where you want to be.

Finally, don’t delay. It’s NEVER too early to start building your networking or to reach out to the Newhouse CDC for help!