The power of human connection in the business world is unmatched. As simple as a short conversation with one employee at a company can lead to an interview at the firm of your dreams. Networking is one of the most important lessons I have learned over the past week.
Although I attempt to focus on living in the present, my head tends to focus on the future and what it holds. I currently have a job lined up starting in August and often find myself dreaming about the next steps. Where do I want to be in five years? What position do I want to have? Where do I want to live?
As a result of quarantine, I find myself planning out the future. You can't necessarily plan out your future, but you can make put yourself in a position to be the most successful at making those future plans possible.
During my Mergers & Acquisitions night class on Monday night, a guest speaker presented to our class. He is currently a managing partner at a boutique investment bank in Denver. He had an informative presentation and gave some insight into his firm. Since I am starting my career in the fall in investment banking, I decided to send him a follow-up email after the presentation. I mentioned that I was from Colorado and that I am starting my career in investment banking.
He promptly replied, and we began a conversation about all the similarities we shared. He even offered to meet up before I head out to New York in the fall. As a passionate Colorado native, I have aspirations to make my way back to the beautiful state of Colorado. The power of a network enables you to go where you want to go. As I begin to think more about the future, I find myself being grateful for people in the business world that are willing to connect and discuss their experiences. There is so much to learn from mentors in the industry that you want to pursue. A simple email can get you connected with a person at the firm of your dreams.
Your net worth is only as valuable as your network.
You are totally right. Networking is an incredibly powerful tool. They drill that into us in the theatre department. Most arts communities are very tight-knit--everybody knows everybody else. You can land a job simply because you've previously worked with an assistant stage manager who sees you at an audition and mentions to the director that you were a good person to work with. It also speaks to the importance of being kind and courteous to everybody because you never know who they might know.
ReplyDeleteThat's an excellent point Ben. As I'm sure you know, Neeley talks to us about this a lot, but I feel like most students don't act on it, good on you for doing so. As the old adage goes, its all about who you know, not what.
ReplyDeleteSuch a creative title for the blog! Earlier people can realize this the better. Wish i knew more about the importance of this early on in college as possible
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