Seven Career Networking Tips For College Students

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Minneapolis, Minnesota (March 26, 2006) — Approximately 70 percent of all jobs are found through networking. Yet career networking is often misunderstood and misused. "As simple as it may sound, networking can be a painfully, frustrating effort—especially when your goal is to find immediate employment." said Steven Rothberg, President and Founder of CollegeRecruiter.com.

"In the late 1990's and into 2001, candidates would send out 10 resumes hoping to get two or three responses, but they would instead get 20 responses, many from headhunters, whose business was booming like never before," said Rothberg. Jobs today are no longer easy to come by; and many college graduates find themselves 'on the bench' for weeks, then months. "It is more important now than ever that college students begin planting the seeds of their careers immediately," said Rothberg.

However, as Rothberg explains, the secret to successful networking is not what you do, but how you do it. The secret is tapping into resources that you already have. Building contacts or collecting names and numbers takes a few simple steps but building relationships is more time consuming as it requires more than passing and collecting business cards. "It isn’t the occasional phone call, the holiday greeting card or remembering names of family you’ve never met," says Rothberg. "You cannot possibly build as many deep, lasting relationships in your life, as you may be able to cram names into your address book. Yet one good friend is often worth more than dozens of names whom you barely know and have little in common with."

In essence, Rothberg speaks of quality over quantity. It’s an old theme, but a valid one. Here are CollegeRecruiter.com’s seven steps college students can take today that will have a great payoff tomorrow:

Volunteer and get involved in organizations you feel passionate about. By working together to reach a common goal, you are automatically building relationships.
Gain hands on experience in your chosen field with an internship for either credit, nominal pay, or, if you’re lucky, both. Many national and local organizations have internship programs.
Get a part-time job in an environment in which you’re planning to spend most of your career. It is the perfect opportunity to associate and connect with professionals within your chosen field.
Adopt a mentor. This is especially important in college, when you’re at a critical point in your career development. By associating yourself with someone already practicing in your selected field, you can learn all kinds of insights that you won’t learn in the classroom.
Get to know your teachers. Your professors can be invaluable sources of advice, guidance, and networking. Many professors have developed relationships in the business world as well as the campus community.
Join professional student organizations and meet many influential professionals within your industry. Many professional and volunteer organizations have student chapters, especially on our nation’s larger campuses.
Think of whom else you know. "Through your intimates and family members, you probably have a strong network in place," said Rothberg. "The only problem is that this network may be asleep. You must wake it up and let them be aware of all you can do."

CollegeRecruiter.com reminds job seeking college students that with every relationship, every deed, and every time they go out and meet, greet and serve the needs of others, they are planting seeds. "Take the time to nourish these seeds and you shall be successful in your career and in life," said Rothberg. If you’d like more networking tips, go to www.CollegeRecruiter.com, register by posting your resume, and you’ll receive a free copy of "The Last Guide To Networking You’ll Ever Need" book.

About CollegeRecruiter.com

CollegeRecruiter.com is the highest traffic career site used by job-hunting students and recent graduates and the employers who want to hire them. Three million visitors per month use the CollegeRecruiter.com network of career sites to find part-time positions, summer jobs, internships and career opportunities. CollegeRecruiter.com features tens of thousands of job openings and over 3,500 pages of employment-related articles and Ask the Experts questions and answers. Further information about CollegeRecruiter.com is available at http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com/pages/press-room.php.

CONTACT INFO:

CollegeRecruiter.com
Steven Rothberg
3109 W 50 St Ste 121
Minneapolis, MN 55410-2102
USA
Phone: 800-835-4989
Fax: 702-537-2227
Steven@CollegeRecruiter.com
http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com