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Networking

Networking through friends, family, acquaintances, and professionals is one of the best ways to uncover employment opportunities before they are advertised and to identify inside opportunities that may never get advertised. UCS has several resources available to help you with this important skill:

• Carolina Connection
  The Carolina Connection is a searchable database of volunteer alumni and friends of UNC who want to help you with your job search.
• Networking Nights
  Mingle with 15-20 professionals in a career area during a UCS Networking Night. UCS offers 6-8 networking nights each year, focusing on career areas that may be difficult to break into, like public relations, the arts, etc. Attend a Networking Night to personalize your job search with real contacts in your field of interest.
• UCS Events
  Check the UCS Events Schedule for information on a UCS workshop on Networking

Networking Know How
You may have heard about networking as a concept, but now you need to know how to get started. This is not the time to be afraid to ask relatives and acquaintances for help. You will be pleasantly surprised by how many people will want to help you find an internship or job.

Networking by Phone
Generate a list of primary contacts-people who would want to help if asked.

• Create 3"x5" cards with contact information.
• Set a goal to call a certain number of contacts each week
• When speaking to the contact:
1. Identify yourself until the contact knows who you are.
2. Give a brief synopsis of career goals and jobs sought.
3. Share your qualifications/skills.
4. Ask if the contact knows of openings or names/phone numbers of others who might be able to help.
5. Ask if the contact is willing to allow you to use his or her name or, better yet, if the contact is willing to call ahead to these recommended contacts.
6. Ask the contact if it would be okay to send him/her a resume.
7. Ask the contact when you can call again to "touch base."
• Record important points from the conversation on the 3" x 5" card (contact date, referred by, etc.)
• Encourage follow-up by sending a thank you letter (and resume, if appropriate) and by calling at the agreed upon future date
• Remember to create 3"x5" cards for additional contacts you are referred to.

If you call just one contact per business day for the entire semester, you will make over 75 calls. If, from these primary contacts, you average one referral (secondary contact), your network will exceed 150 individuals. And if these secondary contacts provide referrals (tertiary contacts) . . . Well, you get the picture.

Networking is still the number one way that job hunters find positions. Most of these positions take time to surface and are most often provided by secondary and tertiary contacts. Because of its effectiveness, we want to encourage you to begin making networking a "way of life" as you search for your dream internship or job.

Starting a Potential Networking Contact List
To create your primary list of contacts use the list below to brainstorm names of several people who might help if you called on them. Remember, the people your primary contacts lead you to (secondary contacts) and the people the secondary contacts lead you to (tertiary contacts) are most often the ones who have information about internship or job leads.

• Carolina Connection - Award Winning UNC Chapel Hill Alumni Volunteer Database
• Contacts You Meet at UCS Networking Nights, Career Panels and
• Career Fairs
• Family: Father, Mother, Step-Father, Step-Mother, Sister, Brother, Step-Sister, Step-Brother, Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, Grandparents, Nieces, Nephews, Significant Other's Relatives
• Friends, Significant Other, Friends of Significant Other
• Roommates/Classmates in High School/College
• Your Former or Current Employers or Employers of Those You Know
• Neighbors/Community Members
• Church/Synagogue/Temple Members
• Political Party Affiliations
• People I Volunteer With
• Members of Social Organizations I Am Involved In
• Members of Professional Associations
• Accountants, Lawyers, Bankers, Insurance Agents
• Dentists, Optometrists, Stockbrokers, Mechanics
• Hairstylists, Mechanics
• People Who Work in Personnel, Placement, Search Agencies
• Coaches, Teachers, Professors
• Fellow Athletes
• Fraternity/Sorority Members

3" x 5" Contact Card Format

Questions, comments? Email us at ucs@unc.edu
919-962-6507

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Networking: It's Easier than You Think

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