Social Internet Butterfly.
It was about midnight during the middle of the week that I finally decided to create a LinkedIn. I had just read up on a chapter about how it can lead to professional connections that I may not have been able to make otherwise. It took me about half an hour to create my profile and begin connecting with friends and family. Since I have created it I have also been able to connect with people that are within my area of study. I also downloaded the LinkedIn app on my cell phone so that I can always stay updated on the go. The app has been the most successful in creating connections with other people because I’ve been able to meet and establish a relationship with a person then later connect with them before I got home to my laptop. Not even a week after I created my profile I had someone reach out to me for a job opportunity that she had. Unfortunately it wasn’t something that would work with my school schedule but it was AWESOME that I already had something looking into me!!
Mentor.
I’ve been in management for almost two and a half years and never had anyone that I truly looked up to and conversed with until this past fall. I never really realized how important it is to have a mentor within the field that you are pursuing. Those people are able to talk you through situations that you may be unsure of or even how to your next steps in life. They are usually willing to help you in a professional and personal level to aim at bettering yourself. They make you feel comfortable talking to them and create confidence in yourself.
TALK. TALK. TALK!
I am someone who likes routine and doesn’t go out of a comfort zone very often. I tend to do the same things each week on a schedule and any variation out of that gives me a bit on anxiety. I don’t like putting myself out there and definitely don’t like talking to people about my college career or where I want to go in life. Within the past few months I’ve learned to be more open to opportunities though. I have talked to a lot more people about the path I’ve taken and the path that I am on now. I had a woman walk into my store while I was working last month and we began talking about what my plans were. By the end of the conversation I gave her my phone number and e-mail so that she could contact me about a possible opportunity. She runs her own business and needed someone part-time to control her social media presence and also her contact/e-mailing lists. She needed someone that could do some of the smaller things that she didn’t have time for but it was an brand new opportunity for me to take advantage of to further my career outside of college.