Networking: Can it help your Career?

by Richard

Networking, in any sector, can prove to be a great career tool. Forming relationships and liaising with professionals and business leaders can help you to gain an advantage when job seeking. Many educational institutes now provide networking opportunities, during study, to help students form lasting relationships before they even become qualified. As well as professionally organised networking opportunities through your university, you can also be proactive and create your own opportunities to network. Online networking sites, such as LinkedIn, provide students and business professionals with the chance to create their own profile and network with others in similar fields.

Choosing a University with Networking Opportunities

While many universities and other educational providers offer students a vast range of study benefits, one of the most important tools you will gain from your study, is the opportunity to network. Whether you choose to study on campus or via online education, you should elect to complete your studies with a university that provides networking opportunities. Each educational provider will offer different methods of networking, from workshops on how to rebrand yourself with LinkedIn to seminars and meetings with industry professionals. Particularly in the fields of business and finance it is important to build strong relationships, through networking, to connect you with hundreds of professionals and business leaders worldwide.

Why Online Networking?

Many business professionals don’t have the time to simply book in a face to face meeting with everyone who wants to break in to the industry. With today’s ever growing world of technology and social media, there has never been a better way to connect with industry leaders and put yourself out there. While many people will use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn has frequently been described at the ‘professional’ online networking site. Creating a profile on LinkedIn enables you to use this as a kind of resume. LinkedIn has over two million members in Australia and over 100 million members worldwide, making it a great national and international networking resource. Online networking can help your career immensely, as your resume (or profile) is exposed to millions of business professionals, world-wide, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

Networking can help you to create valuable contacts and broaden the horizons of your career. Making connections within your chosen industry is the smart way to expand your business contacts. Online networking sites, such as LinkedIn, can enable you to connect with associates and friends and then see who they are connected to, allowing you to then connect with that person and expand your business address book greatly. If you are looking to branch off into a new industry, want to get a better job or are simply looking for a change of scenery, networking could be the answer to all your problems. Networking allows you to have access to limitless resources that will benefit your current job, as well as the future career you might be planning.

This post was written by Richard

Richard is Course Programmer for Kaplan Online Higher Education. He believes students who network well can put themselves in a much better position to obtain jobs and further their careers in the future. Away from work, Richard is an avid writer and likes spending time with his family.

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