Resume and Networking as a New Grad
Confused about where to begin with resume building and networking as a college student? You are at the right place!
Here is advice from the CareerWomin team based on their experiences as recent graduates
Amrita Anand: UW Pharmacy Student
According to Amrita, effective networking requires researching your audience and finding common ground and goals. You can also create an elevator pitch to quickly introduce yourself in casual settings and build your brand. It's important to attend fairs, conferences, and other informal events and to treat everyone as a potential connection, including students and individuals from other organizations.
Amrita emphasizes that networking opportunities don't have to be in formal settings or with higher-ups. Students can also provide valuable connections due to their individual backgrounds at other organizations or companies. As the saying goes, "Pharmacy is a small world," so treat everyone as a networking opportunity because connections can be exponential. Networking becomes easier with time.
Girisha Kodnani: Financial analyst at Trimble and UW Foster graduate
Girisha, shares networking tips and job search strategies. Setting clear goals, finding common ground, and utilizing LinkedIn are important steps. Girisha also emphasizes knowing one's worth and persevering through disappointment in the job search process.
Girisha recommends finding a clear goal for networking, knowing exactly what to expect from it, and measuring success based on it. After defining goals, start reaching out to people, known and unknown. It's always good to find some common ground for connection, such as being from the same region or graduating from the same college. Once a connection is established, it is recommended to set up an introductory coffee chat and be prepared to ask questions while also being a good listener. If the conversation goes well, one can ask the person if they are open to setting up a regular cadence to stay in touch and get the most out of their time.
Girisha also suggests using LinkedIn as a primary social media app. The platform provides several features to maximize networking opportunities, and Girisha recommends setting up job alerts using relevant keywords and roles of interest. This way, the user can get emails every day about job openings. Once a person finds a role that suits them, they can search for people who are in a similar position or are recruiters and send them a personalized invite to discuss more.
Girisha emphasizes that one's worth is essential, and one should be their advocate and tell their story. They suggest proving how one can add value to the company and help them achieve their goals. It's important not to be afraid to own up and take a stand for oneself.
Lastly, Girisha acknowledges that disappointment is an inevitable part of the job search process. Rejection emails and setbacks are common, but it's essential to keep applying and networking, knowing that one in a hundred companies will choose them. Girisha shares their personal experience of a job offer from their dream company that fell through after five months of acceptance, which was completely unexpected and heartbreaking for them. But they persevered, and the end result was worth it. Girisha encourages readers to keep going, keep networking, and keep applying.
Saasha Mor: Software Engineer at Adobe, UW Informatics Graduate
Saasha shares their experience with networking and finding a job after graduating from the University of Washington. They recommend talking to graduates about job responsibilities, making genuine connections, and self-advocacy. They also suggest networking with people in similar roles, setting up 1:1 meetings with managers, and attending networking events regularly.
She emphasizes that effective networking involves analyzing how to make connections meaningfully while also having a clear goal in mind. This can be an uncomfortable process but very worth it!
Serah Prakkat: CSM @ Microsoft, UW Psychology Graduate
Serah, founder of CareerWomin shares her experiences of breaking into the tech industry with an unconventional background and things that have helped her along the way to grow in her career.
Authenticity and “keeping it real” are some of the most helpful ways, Serah has been able to connect with people in her professional life. She believes in creating a name (or “brand”) for herself and discusses the 2(ABC) Model of personal branding that helped her to create a unique identity for herself while attempting to create long-lasting connections. Clifton’s Strength Finder is an assessment she recommends people take in order to get an idea of one’s top 10 strengths.
Tying to authenticity and personal branding, she touched on things like reputation and character. The importance of remembering reputation is what people perceive you to be whereas character is your reality, who you really are. Remembering that, she talked about concepts like beliefs and boldness and the importance of not trying to blend in while networking. She also touched on concepts like consistency and credibility and how much they weigh when you’re trying to build long-lasting connections with people in the professional world.
Lastly, she describes her journey, starting as a scrambled jigsaw puzzle, and then going through various turning points, to finally seeing those scrambled jigsaw pieces coming together at Microsoft. She believes in creating and seeking your own opportunities and greatly encourages one to go after what they want while seeking mentorship and guidance along the way. She quoted “Always ask for your help, it’s a sign of strength and helps you reach much farther than you imagined”.
