Don't You Know Who I Am?
Labels:
Career Center,
Health Ed,
LAPS,
RED Zone
When I was elected McLaughlin College Council President, my favourite phrase was 'don't you know who I am?' I figured that since I had been so actively involved in my college and in my residence people would just recognize my greatness. My bubble burst a little bit when I went to the Master's Office for the first time since the election and the receptionist called me "Eden", which, in case you hadn't realized it, is not even close to my name (which is Claire... how do you not know that yet?) It was at this time that I realized it wasn't enough for me to just show up to events and smile and make sure things went smoothly. I needed to meet and connect with people and let them know what I was about if I really wanted to make the most of my time. I share this with you because it's almost summer which can mean one of two things: either you're looking for a summer job or you're getting ready to graduate and will need a real job. So let's talk about networking and promoting yourself...
First off, by no means am I an expert. I did research for this article and I will be referring you to some sites so you can look more into this topic. However, I can say that I have learned a few things from my work experience so I can try to phrase the advice in a practical context for you.
In my head, your logical first step should be building up a network. This sounds more difficult than it really is. We all start networking in like kindergarten when we build up friendships based on who shares their cookies and who has the best legos. You're meeting people based on some sort of common interest. Now that interest isn't cookies (unless you're learning to bake) it is hopefully something you can use for gainful employment. In my case, I generally try to meet people involved in student services. Let me share an anecdote with you:
In my first year, I lived in residence. In residence, a girl on my floor was a member of Health Ed. I saw her give a presentation and said to myself, hmm that sounds like it could be a lot of fun, so I asked her how I could get involved. She gave me the info I needed, told me how to prepare for it and I got the job. Now to take this to another level, while working for Health Ed, I applied for a position with the RED Zone. RED Zone jobs are insanely competitive and I was up against a lot of amazingly qualified people. Lucky for me though, my boss from Health Ed spoke to the people hiring for RED Zone about me and I got the job! And believe it or not, I can take this even one more step further: when RED Zone had to hire an extra person mid summer, I recommended the same person who helped me get my Health Ed job. She got the RED Zone job in turn.
Do you see what I did there? Simply by connecting with my neighbour, I was able to extend my network two fold. This is a pretty basic example of networking, but even so, it is one of my most valuable experiences.
I think the most daunting part of networking is thinking that you need to go out and meet a bunch of strangers, which really isn't true. When you're networking, you really don't need to start by emailing Mark Zuckerberg and saying you're interested in working at Facebook. Look within your existing networks like friends and family, see who they could get you connected to. You need to think of it as building up contacts, and not cold calling the entire phone book.
The second piece of the puzzle is learning to promote yourself. Once you've established some networks you want to let them know why you're so awesome. The thing is though, there's a fine line between promoting your skills and experience to potential employers and acting like you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. You want to highlight your skills and give yourself the credit you deserve without annoying people. A couple tips off the top of my head:
-Don't exaggerate. You're either going to sound cocky by calling yourself a social media expert after 6 months of tweeting or you're going to sound like a fool when an actual expert calls you on it and you stumble through some half-assed explanation of how twitter is the new greeting card.
-Don't understate your talents! Being humble is one thing but why would you try to convince someone your work isn't that good? It's always good to recognize that you may need some more education and experience if you're just starting out as a professional, but you're allowed to be proud of what you've accomplished so far and being confident in that gives off a great vibe to a potential employer.
A friend* of mine taught me an awesome trick for highlighting your achievements, it's called the sandwich technique. What you do is start off with a pretty general statement: "Our team ran a career fair last week." Then highlight your contribution: "I was responsible for advertising, and over 300 students attend the event." Then finish off with a general closing: "Overall, we are really happy with how the event turned out." With this technique you are acknowledging that the success was a team effort while still giving yourself the credit you deserve for your . So not only do you sound awesome, but you're also a team player.
So those are just a few tips that have worked for me. If you want some real expert advice on the topics above here are some resources:
How To Promote Yourself (Without Being Sleazy) from Lifehacker
Making Connections from York's Career Centre
Workshops offered by Liberal Arts &Professional Studies**
If you have more tips, whether you're an employer or an employee, an expert or a beginner, send them in, I love to hear from you!
* my friend, is Saranjit Cheema, Faculty Liason at LA&PS. We met working at Health Ed together!
** Saranjit runs these workshops, so you should DEFINITELY go!
First off, by no means am I an expert. I did research for this article and I will be referring you to some sites so you can look more into this topic. However, I can say that I have learned a few things from my work experience so I can try to phrase the advice in a practical context for you.
In my head, your logical first step should be building up a network. This sounds more difficult than it really is. We all start networking in like kindergarten when we build up friendships based on who shares their cookies and who has the best legos. You're meeting people based on some sort of common interest. Now that interest isn't cookies (unless you're learning to bake) it is hopefully something you can use for gainful employment. In my case, I generally try to meet people involved in student services. Let me share an anecdote with you:
In my first year, I lived in residence. In residence, a girl on my floor was a member of Health Ed. I saw her give a presentation and said to myself, hmm that sounds like it could be a lot of fun, so I asked her how I could get involved. She gave me the info I needed, told me how to prepare for it and I got the job. Now to take this to another level, while working for Health Ed, I applied for a position with the RED Zone. RED Zone jobs are insanely competitive and I was up against a lot of amazingly qualified people. Lucky for me though, my boss from Health Ed spoke to the people hiring for RED Zone about me and I got the job! And believe it or not, I can take this even one more step further: when RED Zone had to hire an extra person mid summer, I recommended the same person who helped me get my Health Ed job. She got the RED Zone job in turn.
Do you see what I did there? Simply by connecting with my neighbour, I was able to extend my network two fold. This is a pretty basic example of networking, but even so, it is one of my most valuable experiences.
I think the most daunting part of networking is thinking that you need to go out and meet a bunch of strangers, which really isn't true. When you're networking, you really don't need to start by emailing Mark Zuckerberg and saying you're interested in working at Facebook. Look within your existing networks like friends and family, see who they could get you connected to. You need to think of it as building up contacts, and not cold calling the entire phone book.
The second piece of the puzzle is learning to promote yourself. Once you've established some networks you want to let them know why you're so awesome. The thing is though, there's a fine line between promoting your skills and experience to potential employers and acting like you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. You want to highlight your skills and give yourself the credit you deserve without annoying people. A couple tips off the top of my head:
-Don't exaggerate. You're either going to sound cocky by calling yourself a social media expert after 6 months of tweeting or you're going to sound like a fool when an actual expert calls you on it and you stumble through some half-assed explanation of how twitter is the new greeting card.
-Don't understate your talents! Being humble is one thing but why would you try to convince someone your work isn't that good? It's always good to recognize that you may need some more education and experience if you're just starting out as a professional, but you're allowed to be proud of what you've accomplished so far and being confident in that gives off a great vibe to a potential employer.
A friend* of mine taught me an awesome trick for highlighting your achievements, it's called the sandwich technique. What you do is start off with a pretty general statement: "Our team ran a career fair last week." Then highlight your contribution: "I was responsible for advertising, and over 300 students attend the event." Then finish off with a general closing: "Overall, we are really happy with how the event turned out." With this technique you are acknowledging that the success was a team effort while still giving yourself the credit you deserve for your . So not only do you sound awesome, but you're also a team player.
So those are just a few tips that have worked for me. If you want some real expert advice on the topics above here are some resources:
How To Promote Yourself (Without Being Sleazy) from Lifehacker
Making Connections from York's Career Centre
Workshops offered by Liberal Arts &Professional Studies**
If you have more tips, whether you're an employer or an employee, an expert or a beginner, send them in, I love to hear from you!
* my friend, is Saranjit Cheema, Faculty Liason at LA&PS. We met working at Health Ed together!
** Saranjit runs these workshops, so you should DEFINITELY go!
2 comments
Wow, so true. One of the best networking article I have ever read. It is very important to know how to network with people, and also the skills, which is the most difficult part. It takes time to learn but is really helful not just for jobs, but also for everything, I think :)
Big Thumbs up lol Btw, can I share or refer the link of this blog (article) in my blog? I found it is very helpful :)
Thanks Leo! I appreciate the feedback! And for sure share away!
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