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College & Remote Networking

88% of professionals consider networking to be critical to a thriving career

The Importance of Networking

Professional Benefits
- Opens doors to opportunities
  - 70% of people were hired at a company where they had a connection
- Provides you with connections
  - 7 in 10 planning to work with their company for 5 years have a mentor
- Prepares you for a professional future
  - Jobs requiring average to above average social skills +8%
Networking and College

Meeting people is a crucial value of higher education

The benefits of university groups after graduation
- Student organizations are a great place to hone lifelong skills
  - Leadership
  - Communication
  - Service
  - Teamwork
- Greek studentsare happier and more engaged at work
- 85% of Fortune 500 executives are fraternity members

69% of students no longer have regular access to their classmates, friends, and network ㅡ What are ways we can keep in contact digitally?

Tips To Help

Connect Online
- Reach Out Genuinely
  - People miss real human connections, not just networking
  - Duke University
    - Students created Facebook group to connect with each other after the campus closed indefinitely due to coronavirus
- Ask Questions
  - To be interesting is to be interested
  - Direct conversations toward mutual interests and goals
- Understand Everyone Is Struggling
  - "The key to long-term social networking success is to always remember there are people using the technology. People like you and me, with messy, complicated distracted lives" – J. Kelly Hoey, Build Your Dream Network
DIY Your Virtual Campus
- Stay Engaged
  - Share your experiences and let others know you're still in their life
  - Utilize popular social media like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
- Be Proactive
  - With schedules disrupted, it can be easy to fall into a lack of structure
  - Instead, focus on the future: create group chats for study, meetings, & class discussion
- Think Outside the Box
  - Utilize online resources to maintain as much connection as possible
  - Some ivy league sororities are using Zoom to conduct pre-rush events and applicant interviews

Don't know where to start? LinkedIn is used by over half of all college graduates

Take Advantage of LinkedIn
- Stand Out
  - Enhance your profile with your achievements
  - Beyond career-related: include volunteerism, awards, and honors
- Showcase Your Expertise
  - Emphasize your skillset and why people should contact you
  - Include links to content such a a blog or website in your profile
- Get Involved
  - Be active in your university's alumni group and built-in network
  - Join a group, make a post, reach out to an alum – start somewhere

Many anticipate the trend towards digital will remain long after quarantine ends ― How are students coping now?

Creative Solutions

Socializing From Home
- From February-March 2020, utilization of remote communication tools spiked
  - Hangout Meets By Google 5X
  - Microsoft Teams 4X
  - Zoom 3.5X
  - Google Classroom 2X
- 86% of students are looking for ways to recreate in-person socializing with peers
Soundtrap
- App used to create music and collaborate with others in real time
- Events like concerts, open mics, and speeches can be streamed & still experienced as a group
Unmasked
- Created by Dartmouth student to facilitate anonymous peer mental health support
- 52% of students feel anxious about their displaced education & loss of normalcy

"If fall 2020 can't happen on campus, we need to find a way for it to happen, vibrant and unchecked, online" -Eduventures researcher Richard Garrett

Don't be afraid to network remotely now ㅡ It may be how we stay connected in the future