"Networking. It's all the rage these days, it's like everyone's becoming obsessed with the fact that in today's world it's about who you know not what. We live in a world where masters are the new bachelors and best friends are becoming CEOs. I was talking with a friend the other day about networking and we both agreed that we're slacking on our social connections. As much as I'd like to think.hope.believe that all of your hard work will pay off, I'm starting to think, what if it doesn't? What if after all this we're right back where we started? or is the solution to all this angst the right party, with the right people, with the right open-mind for an open position?"

I've never really revisited  a post that I've written before, but I decided that this though was important enough to merit the double take. Now that I've graduated college, I've began to see that I wasn't far behind on the whole "it's who you know, not what you know" notion. Yes, your education matters. Yes all those Friday nights that you spent - okay you got me Sunday  nights - that you spent up until the crack of dawn perfecting a project that was "supposed" to take weeks to complete (when in reality you may or may not have found the crumpled assignment stained with jungle juice under a stack of books you've hardly touched). It was all worth it. Trust me.

What they don't  spend enough time teaching you in college is how to network . If I could major it networking I would have. At Bentley, one of the first things that they tell you to do as baby Falcons is to create a LinkedIn account. They tell you to attend a few events here and there, check out the career fair, "don't be afraid to stop by career services", and to keep unprofessional content off of social media. These are all helpful hints, but any mindful person in the twenty-first century doesn't need to pay over fifty-thousand a year to know these things, they're a given. 

Here's just a tid bit of advice that I've gathered from my years on the sphere in regards to networking:

• set yourself up with some business cards. trust me on this one.
• that whole "I don't know how to approach them" thought, let it go, they're people too
• if you recognize someone whether it be from an article, video, etc. say hey! 
• attend as many events that you're interested in as possible, whether they be academically related or not, because you never  know who you'll meet unless you go!
• smile.smilesmile. (speaking from someone who doesn't do this nearly enough, it makes you seem more appropriate buhleedat) 
• if you end up meeting someone you admire, don't be shy...say hi!
• GET. THEIR. CONTACT. I cannot stress this one the most. email, phone number, coordinates, what have you jot it down, ask for a biz card (see? helpful to have your own) 

Networking isn't just about shaking hands, and collecting numbers. It's about building relationships that will hopefully one day help both parties reach new heights. Introductions are key  in this day in age, whether it be in person or on the web. With so many college grads with the same "qualifications" you're sure to have a leg up if someone  can vouch for you as a sane human. That's not to say that just because you have an in, means you're hired, but it sure as hell beats out someone that has the same qualifications as you with no shoutout. 

Lastly, the name drop. Yes it is usually frowned upon, but that's usually because people that say "hi my name is so and so, and I know _____ who sometimes drops off the mail" are the ones giving name drops a bad rep. I've been trying to narrow the chemistry behind the acceptable times to name drop versus the times where it is widely unaccepted. Frankly, I've only boiled it down to this: if they ask if you know any one, go for it. It's important to know the weight  that said name carries, all positions are important but dropping the name of someone who just started there three weeks ago is probably going to hurt you more than it's going to help.

Another caveat to take into consideration when dropping it like it's hot, is the infamous "would I be getting hired because I'm good enough? or is it because of the person I know?" The name drop card is one that I seldom use, but as time wears on and funemployment becomes less and less "fun" I've seriously started to consider it. I'll report back I promise!

tl;dr meet as many people in a friendly fashion as you can, all while carrying around business cards with your name and contact info, know the weight that a name can carry and use your best judgment on when it's appropriate to share that information or not. 

How much is your  network worth?

keep it raw.