How to Successfully Network as a College Student

Balancing classes, extracurricular activities, and your social life as a college student is hard enough. Trying to focus on your future professional career while you’re still a young adult can be even harder to manage. Networking is a beneficial tool for individuals to interact in order to develop and advance their professional status. It is a huge and vital part of the advertising and public relations world. While it’s extremely beneficial to network, it shouldn’t take away from a college student’s experience, and here are some tips on how to achieve that.

Get A Head Start, Get Involved

I’ve learned that you’re never too young to start working on your professional career. While it seems absolutely terrifying, and it can be, it will help in the long run to start networking earlier rather than later. An easy way to do this is to get involved as much as possible. For me, joining GVPRSSA has allowed me to do just that. Meeting peers who are in the same field of study as you can be a step in the right direction. GVPRSSA is a great way to gain professional opportunities through the guest speakers who attend our meetings as well as the monthly agency tours. I recommend taking advantage of an opportunity like this or any for that matter, but it’s not like I'm biased or anything.

Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

I know that meeting and talking to new people is scary, but it’s what networking is all about. Sometimes it’s good to be comfortable with being uncomfortable because it’s the only way we grow as individuals, let alone professionals. I’ve never had a problem starting a conversation with someone until it came to a more professional setting. My anxiety spikes, and I assume I can’t be myself. I’m continuing to learn that this is not the case. I like to think of it as that person you’re nervous to talk to is probably feeling the same way, so there’s nothing to be scared about.

Be Active On LinkedIn

I like to think of Linkedin as the Instagram or Facebook of the professional world. It allows you to connect with possible future employers, look at job or internship opportunities, and the obvious one, network! Richard Okiasi, Linkedin Writer, expressed the same in an article on the advantages of Students using LinkedIn. This is an easy one for college students because what 20-year-old isn’t already on social media anyway? You might as well use it to your advantage.

Conclusion

Implementing these tips will assist you in networking more effectively as a college student. We all have a lot on our plates, so learning some quick tricks on how to balance the busy college life and professional interests will make your life a lot easier.

Kendall Sedestrom is a junior studying Advertising and Public Relations with an emphasis in PR and a minor in Digital Studies. She is the VP of Professional Development for GVPRSSA. She enjoys doing work in graphic design, has an interest in the social media and influencer marketing world and hopes to work with that in the future. Outside of her studies, she enjoys taking yoga and spin classes at the GVSU Recreation Center.