These platforms all contribute to building professional networks that significantly enhance career prospects and professional success. Students should create accounts to start building a professional profile. Once those have been built, they will need continuous updates about new skills and experiences you are getting throughout your college career.
Professional networking is crucial for college students for several reasons:
Job and Internship Leads: Networking can open doors to job and internship opportunities that may not be advertised publicly. Many positions are filled through referrals or connections, making a strong network invaluable.
Industry Insights: Networking allows students to gain insider knowledge about specific industries, helping them understand what employers are looking for and how to tailor their resumes and skill sets accordingly.
Communication Skills: Engaging with professionals helps students develop essential communication skills, including how to present themselves, how to ask meaningful questions, and how to build relationships.
Soft Skills: Networking often requires collaboration, negotiation, and active listening, all of which are critical soft skills in any professional environment.
Mentorship: Networking can lead to mentorship opportunities where experienced professionals provide guidance, advice, and support as students navigate their careers.
Career Advice: Experienced professionals can offer practical advice on career paths, job search strategies, and how to overcome challenges in the workplace.
Self-Confidence: Regularly interacting with professionals helps students become more confident in their abilities and more comfortable in professional settings.
Overcoming Shyness: For shy or introverted students, networking can be a way to practice social interactions in a professional context, helping them become more outgoing.
Future Collaboration: The connections made during college can evolve into long-term professional relationships, leading to future collaborations, partnerships, or even business ventures.
Alumni Networks: Networking with alumni can create a sense of community and provide a support system as students transition from college to the workforce.
Industry Trends: Networking helps students stay informed about the latest trends and developments in their chosen fields, making them more knowledgeable and competitive job candidates.
Access to Resources: Through networking, students can access resources such as workshops, seminars, and conferences that can enhance their learning and professional growth.
A strong professional network can provide a safety net in times of job insecurity. If a student faces unemployment, their network can be a source of new job leads and opportunities.
Expanding Horizons: Networking exposes students to diverse perspectives, ideas, and experiences, contributing to their personal and professional growth.
Cultural Competence: By interacting with professionals from various backgrounds, students develop cultural competence, which is increasingly important in today's globalized workforce.
Build your network
Here are some tips and tricks for building your network on different platforms.
The Roadrunner Network is a resource that connects professional connections and provides a virtual community where students, alumni, UTSA faculty, and staff can interact to ask questions, seek guidance, and develop relationships that lead toward professional goals.
The Roadrunner Network offers the ability to search for and connect with alumni, UTSA faculty, and/or staff as a mentor, mentee, or both. Participants choose their level of involvement from a one-time meeting to a longer, more sustained mentoring relationship. This network is helpful to connect students to people that can offer unique job opportunities, career support, establish a mentoring/mentee relationship, and a variety of other resources in one place.
Handshake is a recruiting platform resources offered through UTSA’s University Career Center for UTSA students, alumni, faculty, and staff. The platform uses cutting edge technology to help easily connect with employers, source jobs and internships, event information, and on-campus recruiting opportunities.
The UTSA Handshake website also offers many other resources for students including meeting with Handshake Career Consultants to discuss topics that include:
- Career Exploration & Planning
- Job and Internship exploration
- Professional networking
- Resume, CV, and Cover letter writing
- Interview Preparation
- Graduate & Professional School preparation
- Preparing for a Career Expo
You can create a profile by going to the Handshake login website to log in using the options provided and and click on the BLUE “The University of Texas at San Antonio Sign On” button and use your abc123 and password to login. Do not use your school or preferred email address, as this is not linked with your student account. Once you login, update your profile, upload your resume, and click on “Submit Profile.”
LinkedIn can be described as a professional social networking platform designed to help individuals connect, share, and grow their careers or companies. It is a powerful tool for managing your professional identity, expanding your network, finding job opportunities, and staying informed about your industry. It's an essential platform for anyone looking to grow their career.
LinkedIn allows you to be visible in the professional world. Recruiters and employers often use it to find candidates, so having an up-to-date and well-crafted profile can make you stand out. Also, by connecting with others and staying active on LinkedIn, you increase your chances of discovering and being considered for new opportunities, whether it’s a job offer, a partnership, or a chance to speak at a conference. LinkedIn helps you stay connected with industry trends, learn new skills, and gain insights from leaders in your field, which can contribute to your professional growth and development.
LinkedIn also hosts specific site communities based on individual companies and schools. There is a UTSA community for all campus community members that highlights what is happening with and ability to network with other UTSA students, faculty, and staff.
What LinkedIn Is and how you might think about it:
Professional Networking Site: LinkedIn is a website and mobile app where people create profiles to showcase their professional achievements, work experience, skills, and education. It's a place to connect with colleagues, industry peers, recruiters, and potential employers.
Digital Resume: Your LinkedIn profile acts like a digital resume or portfolio. It allows you to highlight your work history, skills, certifications, and other professional accomplishments. Unlike a traditional resume, it’s interactive and can include links, multimedia, and recommendations from others.
Job Search Platform: LinkedIn is widely used by people looking for job opportunities. You can search for jobs, apply directly through the platform, and even be approached by recruiters who find your profile.
Networking Tool: LinkedIn allows you to connect with other professionals, join industry-specific groups, and participate in discussions. It’s a way to build relationships that can lead to career opportunities, partnerships, or collaborations.
Content and Learning Hub: Beyond networking, LinkedIn also serves as a platform where professionals share articles, insights, and industry news. LinkedIn Learning offers courses and tutorials on a variety of topics, helping users enhance their skills.
How LinkedIn Is Used:
Building a Personal Brand: By posting updates, sharing articles, and writing posts or blogs, you can establish yourself as being connected to an industry/discipline. This helps build your personal brand and visibility.
Recruitment and Hiring: Companies use LinkedIn to post job openings, search for candidates, and research potential hires. Individuals can use it to find job opportunities, follow companies of interest, and stay updated on industry trends.
Learning and Development: LinkedIn Learning offers a variety of online courses on professional skills, software, and other topics relevant to career development. It's a great resource for continuous learning.
