Monday, August 8, 2011

When is the Best Time for Students to Connect with Employers?

I recently got back from the annual Midwest Association of Colleges and Employers Conference in Lombard, IL, where career counselors and employers meet, share and learn from each other about current topics in career development and the workforce.

I sat in on a session where recruiters spoke about all of the Do’s for students on connecting with them and building relationships.

One main takeaway that I’d like to share is how recruiters said the best time to connect with employers is in the summer time.

What does this mean for you as a student?

Be proactive! Don’t wait until the fall career fair to be looking for future employment and connecting with employers. In the summer, recruiters have more time to spend connecting with students because once the school year starts, they are busy traveling around and recruiting.

The good news: summer is not over yet! So get started with your job/internship search and start making connections at places you are interested in working for.

Not sure where to start?

One great professional networking site I suggest checking out is LinkedIn.com. Not only can you connect with millions of professionals, but you can also keep up to date by joining groups and reading and participating in discussions on hot topics in your field, or search jobs and internship postings. (Don’t forget to join the UW- Madison Letters and Science Career Services group!)

And remember, career counselors are always here to help you learn how to build and maintain relationships with professionals in your field of interest.

Great tips for using LinkedIn can be found at: http://www.lssaa.wisc.edu/careers/students/social_media.html.

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