In the world of college students, networking is of utmost importance from the second you set foot on campus. The words LinkedIn and professional development are in your face before you’re even completely sure where the laundry room is. Not to say that networking is not important, it most certainly is, but that doesn’t mean college students should feel that they might fail postgrad or never get an internship if they don’t reach 500+ connections by the end of their freshman year. Networking is meant to be a creation of valuable and helpful relationships, not a game of numbers. Instead of inducting freshman and other college students into the mindset of sending 50 connection requests a day on LinkedIn, we should be teaching them ways to create more personal and memorable connections. This could include sending an email to a speaker after listening to their presentation at a student organization meeting, instead of a limited 200-character LinkedIn note, making a stronger effort to connect with a professor who is bound to have a great amount of connections or asking an older member of your student organization to get coffee and hear about their experiences. From my own experience, my best connections have come from taking the opportunity to meet with speakers before their presentations during our weekly meetings at PRSSA, through our professional mentor program (shout out Laine and Emily) and by taking the time to become closer with upperclassmen members of our chapter. While LinkedIn connections still matter to me, and yes, I did feel some pride when I reached 500+ connections, I know that the connections that will benefit me most in the future are going to be the ones that were made from real conversations. So, my advice to anyone who is currently trying to improve their networking journey is to not be afraid to send that personalized email or ask that speaker or upperclassman to meet; you never know how well having the courage to make a genuine connection could work out for you until you try.
Ella Neighborgall is a second-year student majoring in Communication Studies with a minor in PR & Advertising. You can connect with Ella on LinkedIn here.