How to nail a campus networking event

Hey, Roadies! 

Happy Friday – cheers to the freakin’ weekend. It’s graduation season, so don’t forget to practice your hat toss. You don’t want to be the person who pelts their cap across the ceremony like a frisbee. 

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Friday Networking Tip: Campus Style 

RoadMap provides insights about growing your career inner circle

Fraternity reunions, alumni fundraisers, even tailgates – college life is full of opportunities to connect with people who have established careers, a.k.a. networking. 

To do so successfully, combine three key pieces of advice we’ve included in previous RoadMap newsletters: 

1. Treat networking like regular human connection, not a transactional exchange 

2. Prepare a mental list of “small talk” questions to get the conversation going 

3. Talk about your interests and your desire to learn – not how great you are 

Of course, when it comes to the first rule, use common sense. Don’t share the wildest stories from the latest party with someone you’re hoping to turn into a professional connection. But do act natural – ask them about their time at your school, their life now, and, of course, their work. Don’t brag, list your achievements, or in any way monologue about yourself. 

Initiate the conversations by asking open-ended questions. People love to talk about themselves so asking questions that get people talking will show you’re curious and care about them.  

A few good questions to have in your back pocket are:

• Tell me about how you got into ______ industry?

• Explain more about your field as I'm learning where I want to take my career.

• How did you end up getting your first job?

In other words, focus on the person you’re talking to. Get to know them as a person, and in the process, learn everything you can about their professional life.

Starting Points 

In this section, we describe entry-level roles in various fields, so you know what’s out there

If you’re interested in a legal career, working as an entry-level paralegal is a great option. You’ll get to know the ins and outs of working in a law office, the mechanics of how trials work, and how to draft documents – which is a lot of being a lawyer! 

Keep in mind that 99% of legal work looks nothing like what you’ve seen on “Suits” or “Law & Order.” Any attorney will tell you a lot of it is pretty dull. But if you: 

• Love to read and/or write

• Are a strong critical thinker, or 

• Love a good debate

Then a legal career might be right for you. And an entry-level paralegal role is the perfect way to test the waters before you make the three-year commitment to law school. 

If you think law school might be your path, look around online for paralegal roles and fill out a few applications. Even better, contact anyone you know in the legal field and treat them to lunch. If you don’t know anyone, your school’s career center can connect you with alumni who are close by. 

Level Up This Weekend

We send you into the weekend with resources on how to tackle an important part of adult life

Some undergrads learn to cook beyond the basic pasta and scrambled eggs. If that’s you, nice work! 

But if you’re one of those who hasn’t, building your cooking skills and grocery shopping know-how will be hugely helpful after graduation. You don’t want to be ordering delivery for every meal when you’re working – the cost adds up, it’s wasteful, and it tends to be less healthy. 

So do this now: 

• Pick a recipe that’s slightly more advanced than your usual – maybe chicken piccata or red curry. Make it this weekend (with a friend if you’re a culinary beginner) and make a note of what you enjoy about it, or don’t. Do you like making meat and poultry, or does it creep you out? Do you prefer recipes that involve baking in the oven, or sautéeing on the stove? Do you like making your own salad dressing to get the taste just right…or do you find that tedious, and prefer to buy it bottled? 

Getting to know your own preferences will help you not just be a better cook, but be able to feed yourself more efficiently and frugally when you get to adult life.