The Importance of Networking

Before I tell my story and stress the title … I want you all to read and truly understand this image below, first.

I think most people , if not all, are guilty of comparing their life to someone else’s at one point in time. One thing a lot of people tend to forget is that everyone has their own destiny. What worked for you, may not work for your friend.. and vice versa.

Now for story time 

I didn’t start interning until the summer before senior year. My school encouraged students to attend sessions hosted by companies like NBC Universal, Disney/ESPN/ABC, etc., but I never did. At the end of the sessions, recruiters would talk with students and offer internships to those worthy. Prior to attending and actually sitting through the entire forum my SENIOR year, I had only been to one or two and that’s because they were requirements. It wasn’t until my last year of undergrad that I realized that at these FREE of charge events, I could’ve received a paid internship…. my freshmen year. So, you’re probably wondering, “what the hell were you doing during your summer breaks?” Don’t get me wrong… I was 100% productive… it just didn’t benefit my career much. I was too busy thinking about taking the easiest route that required the least work, which was lifeguarding. So, YES, I had a late start; do I wish I would’ve began earlier? Heck, yeah! But the past is the past and I was taught to never dwell on it.

Safe to say majority of my college career, I was on chill mode. I did my work, but I missed the entire point of going to college, which was to build and plan for life after college, aka MY FUTURE. Nonetheless, just because I had my priorities mixed up, does not mean I’m incapable of being successful… it just means I have to work harder, and remain focused.

Before my senior year, I had interned for a small production company, but that was about it. So, boom. ONE internship. I began thinking about my future during summer 2016 because that bih was coming quicker than I anticipated. Before I knew it, it was the first semester/last days of my golden years. I began applying to internships and jobs nonstop; I received

“At this time, we are considering other applicants whose background and experience more closely align with the qualifications and requirements of this position,”

emails so much that once I got an email back, I scanned for those words immediately. I barely had any experience (internship wise), so why would employers choose me over someone WITH experience… someone who worked their ass off, while I sat on mine (literally). I will admit that there were times I felt discouraged but then I got in my bag and applied to plenty more. I knew someone would give me a chance… it may not have been with a major company like ABC or NBC, but someone would.

In the meantime, LinkedIn became my BFF. I stayed on that site faithfully… it became the new twitter for me. I would search my alma mater, “Hampton University,” with a companies’ name after it. I was eager to find alumni and reach out. LinkedIn had a ‘free premium trial for a month’ offer going on at the time (probably still does) and I hopped on it. For the next 30 days, I InMailed different people daily. I strongly encourage EVERYONE to switch to premium (even if it’s only for 30 days) and utilize this feature. Go ahead and step out of your comfort zone… there’s only two things that can happen. One being, you’ll get a respone, or two being, you won’t…if you don’t that’s perfectly okay. Do NOT get discouraged… if you inmail 5 people, at least 2 out of the 5 should respond. Never be afraid to ask for assistance from professionals who are where YOU WANT TO BE. More than likely, they’ll be happy to help (especially if they’re from your alma mater). From my experience, i’ve gained three mentors and plenty of email contacts.

If you’re not sure what to say when reaching out, below are a few messages I sent out to people I aspire to be like… like I said, more than likely, they’ll be receptive.

2 out of these four people are mentoring me and chat with me frequently to send me job postings and to see how I’m doing. Prior to contacting them, they were complete strangers. But, NOW I’m not afraid to ask them silly questions and for advice. This happened all from gaining the courage to talk to random people and ask for help. YOU can do it, too!

I currently intern for a media company on 5th avenue in New York City. It’s a small film production company that gives me hands-on experience with storytelling, shooting, and editing. I’m ever so grateful for the opportunity, and of course, i’m still networking, and applying to other places in my spare time because it’s ideal to have options.

Side note: I haven’t given up on my go-to summer job… i’m still doing that, too. 😉 What can I say? I love money… haha.