<p>Before I went to college and even now approaching my final semester of college, all I keep hearing is network network network!</p>
<p>But it's so hard b/c most other students don't have linkedin or any other professional account. Some don't even know what it is! How am I supposed to keep in touch with others professionally?</p>
<p>It would also seem creepy&awkward if you try to outright ask somebody to add them on facebook if you are not close friends with them (and a surprising high amount of college-age ppl are not even members of or active on facebook anymore). I transferred to my current university as a junior and most juniors/seniors are not even looking to make friends anymore for a variety of reasons.</p>
<p>Can anybody identify with this? What gives?</p>
<p>I'm a very outgoing person and the only connection that i've made so far was me going out of my way to add a Graduate TA to my linkedin!</p>
<p>(I'm go to a very large fairly-good state university)</p>
<p>At my university, just about almost everyone I know has a Facebook account. In fact, it was hard for me to get updated with any clubs I joined because they posted club info on their FB page more than their regular website. </p>
<p>Anyway, I have a hard time networking, too. Not just because I can’t find anyone to connect with, but because I have social anxiety that prevents me from approaching people easily.</p>
<p>Most ppl I know have a facebook account but a lot of them are not active on it so it would just be a waste of time. Most prefer twitter and other things.</p>
<p>Networking is not limited to other students…</p>
<p>What are you networking FOR? Networking to network is pointless. One form of networking is by looking for alumni of your school, in your field, and reaching out to them via email. Another way to network is by going to career fairs and alumni events Through non-alumni channels, there are always internships and jobs (which is why you shouldn’t leave “networking” to your senior year)</p>
<p>“networking” is a lot more organic, not so much mechanical.
Networking means establishing and nurturing relationships, not just collecting a list of names.
Networking occurs naturally when you get involved in things that you enjoy, and meet people with similar interests…and you develop relationships around those activities and interests…some people are “ahead” of you and are able to introduce you to opportunities…some people are your peers, and you develop together…some people are coming up “behind” you and you are happy to help them along the path.</p>
<p>i met a lot of people online who are prestigious people or who are affiliated with or do prestigious things (some don’t do any of that just yet but its super obvious they’re special people who are going to go on to do special things). and i got a good number of them to like me although some stopped liking me when i got too attached. my failure rate was pretty high because of that and recently lots of them kind of cut off contact with me, some more directly than others. but the ones who still will talk to me like me a good amount.</p>
<p>im not counting on these people to help me advance my career though. rather i am hoping they will contribute to my generosity fund to support my living expenses :D.</p>
<p>networking is good even if its just so you have people with the resources to take you in or support you if you fall on hard times. if you’re an incapable person like me then the goal is to find a large enough group of such people that you can depend on in rotation so there’s always someone there to take care of you.</p>
<p>I use twitter as a form of keeping in contact with networks but I also am getting into a field where social media is a strong element. I keep in contact with professors through email mostly and I have a few that I text on holidays/birthdays. I use Facebook as well but I’m not really active on it so I can’t say anything… I just add people and use it to keep in contact. If Facebook or twitter isn’t an option for you, just try keeping in contact through email. I mean I don’t find it weird to ask people for their Facebook. Most people don’t post their entire life and secrets on there.</p>
<p>Have a deep interest/hobby and join a club where many in that club share the same hubby. They naturally want to share a lot of time with each other. Not sure whether this helps you “professionally”.</p>
<p>Two experiences DS has had: In one of his interviews in his college application cycle, the interviwer ended up talking to him for more than 3 hours just because they shared the same interest. Another incident was that after he had been “working” with a doctor for a month, he invited him for a dinner and talked to each other for a long time just because they shared some interests with each other outside of work. It is sad, however, that there are not many people of his age who could share with him on his narrow interest.</p>
<p>A lot of college students don’t have LinkedIn yet, but they will eventually. See if any older students you know who have graduated have it and link with them. If you have any internships, link with people you meet (other interns and regular employees at the place where you are interning). Keep a list of classmates you might want to link to eventually, and check them a year after you graduate – some of them will have gotten on LinkedIn by then and you can connect with them.</p>
<p>enfield–your version of networking is not going to deliver because it is all about what you want these people to do FOR you…where is what you can do with them, or for them? It is a two-way street.</p>
<p>Also, networking is not about whether or not people like you, although that certainly helps. It is about whether they respect you, your abilities, and your accomplishments, which make them inclined to introduce you to people and opportunities.</p>
<p>Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, are all networking tools–they are not “networking.”</p>