Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash
Are you stressed about how to land a job after graduation with little prior experience? Immediately after graduating, you’re expected to find a stable job that will support you financially. Everyone around you seems to have it all figured out, but you don’t even know where to start. It’s okay to feel lost—we’ve all been there. The key to gaining clarity for your future career is to be proactive! After graduating from university, I landed my dream internship through strategic networking. Here are some tips and tricks that I took to land my dream internship, which you can also apply through networking!
Set Clear Intentions
The first step is to set clear and specific goals. Some questions to think about: What role or industry are you looking for? Are you looking for an internship to get your foot in the door or a full-time permanent job?
My goals:
My main goal was to work for a non-profit in the healthcare sector by landing an internship through networking. I wanted to gain experience and learn about the industry, so I took the initiative and signed up to attend a healthcare conference. Aside from attending, I also set a measurable goal to speak to at least ten new people at the event, including the speakers, attendees, and volunteers.
During the event, I intended to genuinely connect with others, exchange contact information, send thank you follow-up emails, and request coffee chats with a selected few. I wanted to feel more comfortable networking and to learn more about various opportunities.
Always Be Prepared
Before attending a networking conference, you’ll want to come prepared. This preparation includes doing your research on LinkedIn to find out more information on the employment history of the speakers. From there, you can decide on who you want to speak with and come up with some relevant questions beforehand.
How I prepared:
Before the conference, I wrote an elevator pitch as my self-introduction and practiced it multiple times. This pitch is just a few sentences about what my passions are and myself. I also researched the speakers and organizations who were attending the event. Finally, I printed out my business cards to exchange, including my full name, occupation, credentials and contact information.
As an introvert, I would feel more comfortable attending the event earlier before more people trickled in. I arrived about fifteen minutes early to observe the scene and speak to the volunteers. I was highly anxious and had to mentally prepare myself to master my mindset about networking.
Practice Strategic Networking
When it comes to networking, you want to remind yourself to step outside your comfort zone to connect with others. You don’t want to talk yourself out of approaching the successful speaker out of fear of not feeling good enough—because you have a lot to offer. Simply put, think of it as “practice.”
My approach:
To practice networking, I introduced myself to a few attendees who seemed friendly and were also there alone. I started conversations by asking others, “What brings you here?” and other casual questions such as “What do you do outside of work?” If there was a genuine connection and I wanted to learn more about them, I would exchange contact information.
My approach with each individual I connected with was to smile and give eye contact, offer a firm handshake, stay curious and ask questions, and most importantly—display self-confidence.
After the conference:
After following up with my new contacts, a director for a non-profit in the healthcare sector asked me for coffee! I was then offered an internship on the spot—and got to work with a passionate group of individuals on various projects over the following months. I learned many transferable skills, and the director became my mentor and one of my most valuable references to date.
Always make sure you follow up after meeting them. Send a quick thank you email and stay connected!
Landing an internship or job after graduation requires an overwhelming amount of time and effort. But don’t lose hope—applying to jobs is just one method. Putting yourself out there through genuine connection is another practical approach. Take the initiative and stay persistent!
Originally published at TalentEgg.