Calling, Connecting, and the Kenyon Career Network: Your Keys to Networking Success
By Charlie Woolsey 19’
Networking. It’s that scary word again. The action of reaching out to friends, friends of friends, or Kenyon alumni to get a better sense of a job or industry you’re interested in pursuing. It’s that thing you’ve been told to do, but it feels like cheating. Using your connections to give you an advantage over competing applicants in the job market is an unfair advantage, right?
Wrong.
What if I told you that networking not only increases your chances to get a job, but that it’s a great way to meet new and interesting people who share your educational background or career interests? What if I told you that over 75% of all accepted job offers come from referrals? Using networking to get a job is far from unfair. I call it a smart and thoughtful way to improve your status as an applicant.
The concept of career networking, or making professional connections and seeking information, can sound frightening. Luckily, more than 1,500 Kenyon alumni on the Kenyon Career Network are eager to help students learn more about their career interests. Networking is not only smart, but it can also be a very rewarding experience.
But what exactly is networking?
“Think of it more like learning and connecting rather than networking,” says Julia Tidona ‘14.
Julia is a Senior Associate at JP Morgan Chase & Co., and she shares my conviction that building a network is an essential part of building a career. Personally, I like to think about networking as a collection of conversations with people who work in career circles that interest you. These conversations are purely informational in nature, meaning they serve as an opportunity for you to ask questions related to your career goals. After connecting with alumni, friends, or colleagues, new connections are often willing to introduce you to members of their own networks, thereby expanding your circle of connections. The correct approach to networking is not to treat it as a way to get a job, but as a way to expand one’s social circles in the direction of the career that interests you. As Julia puts it, “the best way to get a job is not randomly applying, it’s people you know who think of you and offer you a job.”
During her junior and senior year at Kenyon, Julia began networking in the direction of her career of choice: finance. After conversations with family connections and Kenyon alumni, a professor in the Kenyon Economics department advised her to reach out to a Kenyon alum he knew at JP Morgan. Julia made good use of this opportunity, asking her new connection about the day-to-day schedule at the company, the responsibilities of an entry-level employee, work life balance, and the types of questions asked in the interview process. The opportunity to learn about the company from a Kenyon alum not only helped Julia realize that JP Morgan was a good fit, but also improved the quality of her application.
Julia has a deep appreciation for the Kenyon network. “Kenyon alums have an affinity for Kenyon grads because they have an affinity for the Kenyon experience. I think the alum I was speaking to had, admirably, a desire to see the number of Kenyon students at JP Morgan increase. Since then I’ve tried to pay it forward.”
“Every new connection is helpful, even if it doesn’t lead to a job,” says Kenyon senior Joe Woody ‘19. Joe recently accepted a full-time position as an Associate at Dimensional Fund Advisors in Santa Monica, CA. He discovered the position through a conversation with Kenyon alumnus and Dimensional Regional Director, Rubin Miller ‘06. Joe was initially introduced to Rubin through the Career Development Office’s Job Shadow Program, which gives students the opportunity to observe professionals (often Kenyon alumni) at work, usually for 1-3 days over winter, spring, or summer breaks.
After learning of this potential job shadow opportunity, Joe sent Rubin an email expressing interest. “I was hesitant, I felt like I was taking up his time, I didn’t want to bother him,” Joe told me. Despite these initial hesitations, Joe reached out to Rubin and the two set up a phone call shortly afterward. Speaking to Rubin not only gave Joe the opportunity to ask questions about the finance industry, it also introduced him to Dimensional. Rubin and Joe spoke about the finance industry more broadly before discussing what sets Dimensional apart from other firms. Talking with Rubin gave Joe the chance to understand Dimensional’s company philosophy and values, giving him a better idea of how to construct his cover letter and prepare for interviews.
Through the experiences of past and current Kenyon students, it’s clear that networking is the best way to broaden your circles of acquaintance, to learn about your career of interest, and ultimately to find your dream job.
But how do you start?
In my experience, the best and easiest networking opportunities are usually much closer than you think. During my senior year, I became interested in learning more about working in the renewable energy industry, and reached out to Kenyon alumni over the Kenyon Career Network to learn more. I was surprised by the eagerness and energy with which Kenyon alumni talked to me about their careers. After learning more about the industry as a whole, I heard about solar company CivicSolar by taking an Environmental Studies class called Solar Power Systems at Kenyon. Shortly after, I reached out to CivicSolar employee Carrie Gotwals ‘18, whom I had met at Kenyon. After talking with Carrie about the company, its identity, and mission, I applied and eventually accepted a full time position. My conversation with Carrie allowed me to develop a better sense of Civic as a company that I wouldn’t have been able to discern on my own. This deeper understanding of the company’s mission and values gave me the opportunity to strengthen my application as well as further prepare myself for the interview process.
Thanks to networking and the Kenyon Career Network, Joe, Julia, and I have all expanded our social circles and landed jobs. Networking may take a little courage at first, but it pays dividends to those who actively pursue it.