Social Rush: Networking
Networking is a form of communication that initiates connections between individuals through conversation and personal commonalities. Every person should be motivated to establish a relationship with others in order for this to be possible. One must be willing to learn from someone else or others creating an opportunity to receive and give advice that will be beneficial to one personally and professionally. Researching who you will meet is extremely important since you will be able to have a general, overall idea of who you are meeting and what the individual has worked on. That way when meeting them you are able to ask questions about interests or their career and so forth. This is where the 30-second pitch comes in, this is a way to introduce yourself that will give the people you are meeting a general idea of who you are and your interests.
A good way to start researching is by looking through their LinkedIn. This will give you an overview of schooling, current position, former positions, skills, etc. Networking was honestly something new to me. I did not have an idea of what it was initially, I thought it was a way to meet others and have it as an advantage to get to where you would like to be, but it’s not only that. Honestly, networking seemed a bit hard for me since meeting new people has not been my strongest skill since I have been working. I have been changing that for my personal and professional growth. My major involves a lot of communication, collaboration, and meeting many professional individuals meaning I will have to be able to introduce myself, be able to connect with them, and be willing to grow as an individual and step out of my comfort zone.
Speaking to Maria Espinoza, a 2021 NMSHSA intern, felt like a talk between friends. Words came so easily, she was so helpful in giving tips on working remotely, and we bonded over the fact that we all got the same coffee unintentionally. Most importantly it was nice to hear from a former intern who had a similar experience as us and is now doing great things in DC.