Networking Key to Postgraduate Success

By Rebecca Leach

Graduating seniors can no longer simply send their resumes to companies and hope to hear back.

Networking is now the key to landing that dream job.

Stonehill’s Post-Graduate Career Outcomes says that just 37 percent of students in the class of 2009 were employed by graduation, compared to 49 percent in the class of 2007.

“For most seniors, right now is the time to be networking. Networking is so much more essential than job searching and it is by far the most important thing students can do,” Career Services Associate Director Christina Burney said.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that between 2004 and 2014 there will be 13.9 million job openings for entry-level college graduates.

Their report, “The 2004-2014 Estimated Job Openings for College Graduates,” says more than half of the openings are expected to come from the need to fill newly created jobs.

Ranked number 19th in the nation for career assistance by the Princeton Review, Burney said that Stonehill’s Career Services also provides great opportunities for students, even after graduation. The department sponsors recruiting events, a tool for students to contact different companies and land interviews.

Experts like Burney are there for students to help them write their resumes, guide them in the right career direction, and assist them in finding internships or jobs, among many other things. Networking is also their specialty.

Stonehill senior Heather Tellier, 21, said, “Like I always say, your network is your net-worth. It’s the best way you can actually experience entry-level job satisfaction to ultimately land the job of your dreams.”

Online networking websites, such as LinkedIn, are gaining headway as more recruiters are using them as a tool to find possible new hires.

“Two people have already contacted me through LinkedIn for job opportunities,” Tellier said. “I created my account my junior year and it has been a great way for me to network and form connections.”

Other seniors are not as confident. Julia Saltanovich, 21, said that, “I find this big networking push to be pretty overwhelming. I have completed multiple internships and have been trying to form a network, but it is just a very stressful process.”

With more than 1.6 million students expected to receive bachelor’s degree this year, it is even more important that Stonehill students participate in career building activities before graduation.