Penn State Graduate Student Career Guide - Biomedical Sciences ...

USING YOUR PENN STATE CONNECTIONS FOR NETWORKING 27
Penn State Grad Student Career Guide
Using Your Penn State
Connections for Networking
2011
2012
Networking is an important part of any
job search process.
Networking is not asking someone for a
job. It is about establishing connections
and relationships with people that will
provide you with access to information
that is crucial to a successful job or
career search.
A well-established network will provide
you with many things including: access
to the hidden job market, insights into
the culture of an organization and trends
in a particular industry or job category
so that you are in a better position to
sell yourself. With more than 500,000
alumni, your Penn State connections
can help you gather information to help
you answer any job search question.
Developing Your Network
The Penn State Alumni Association
supports many alumni chapters, interest
groups and societies that connect alumni
to each other.
With more than 500,000 alumni, your Penn State
These groups are based upon a common
theme such as college, geographic area
or interest. For a list of these groups,
visit the Penn State Alumni Association
website at alumni.psu.edu.
LionLink is a program offered through
Alumni Career Services. It is designed
to link current students and alumni
with alumni for the purposes of making
professional connections. The current
database provides connections to over
2,000 alumni representing a wide variety
of fields.
Academic departments often have
strong connections to their alumni.
Many colleges have a director of alumni
relations who can provide information
on special programs and resources.
Professional associations offer a chance
to network with people in your field of
expertise. By joining as a student, you
are usually entitled to a discounted rate
for membership and services.
Using Your Network
It is not just who you know but who
knows you. The better a person knows
you, the more likely they are to help you
to navigate the job search process. Take
the time to build relationships with
people who share your interests.
Networking takes time. Be respectful of
the time of those in your network. Show
up on time for meetings, be concise,
get to the point quickly, ask specific
questions and respect their time commitments.
Show your appreciation by
sending a thank you note. Be sure to
follow through on all leads. Send brief
follow-up notes that keep them abreast
of your progress as well as the outcomes
of your connections with their referrals.
connections can help you gather information to
help you answer any job search question.