A college education can get you the career skills for life after the classroom but doesn’t get you the networking skills to get inside the workforce. That’s where Sterling College Career Services can help, providing the tools and opportunities to kick off a career without the stress. How do they do this? By hosting a networking night of course.
Networking Night was held on Feb 21 in Incubation room 1&2 in Copper Hall. Professional attire was required, for those that participated were set in a “flash dating” system to meet a dozen of local businesses and try out their networking strategies. In another room, professional headshots could be taken for LinkedIn services and resumes.
Executive Director of Career Services and Student Success Hunter Morgan was excited about the participation of Networking Night. As a head figure of all student success, Morgan wishes to ensure that every student has the opportunity to receive a fitting career after they finish their diploma.
“There are two goals of tonight, the first is to give out students an opportunity to practice conversing and socializing with professionals and also give them an idea of the different types of careers and businesses available within their area of study. It also gives professionals and business owners the to meet our students and give the community buy-in as well,” Morgan said.
Many of the businesses that participated in Networking Night had come through Morgan’s own networking accounts, which proves the success in defining those skills before students hit the professional world.
“We got a list of individuals that have done this in the past, as well as some connections through church or the rotary club. Many businesses have done this for years now since I was a student at Sterling,” Morgan said.
Morgan has emphasises the importance of networking to all of his students, which is why events like Networking Night are so important. In Morgan’s words, “It’s not about what you know but who you know.”
Many students took advantage of Networking Night, filling the seats around the room and engagement in the air. Among the participants were sophomores Morgan Pellegrino and Ivy Mead, volleyball players for Sterling college.
Mead believes that the night is a little tedious, in the way of speaking the same conversation over and over again.
“It’s a forced environment, they have to talk to me and I have to talk to them. But I do feel that when I am out and about, I will have a routine within that networking to know what I can and can’t say,” Mead said.
Pelligrino agrees that the conversation is forced, but in a good way, as it forces students out of their comfort zone.
“Any interaction with business people is good and helps you prepare for the future. It prepares you more for what you’ll face regularly in the professional world, ” Pelligrino said.
Pellegrino is majoring in Marketing and wants to go into cosmetology and esthiology, where the stroke of a comb and makeup brush will lead her to the makeup company “Bare Beauty.” Pellegrino believes that while there wasn’t a makeup brand at Networking Night, the connections she’s made are just as important.
“I’ve enjoyed meeting different people and how things work in the real world and how they have come to do the careers they do. If there’s anyone to guide my sense of career paths I would love to meet them,” Pelligrino said.
Mead is majoring in Business and hopes to take part in her family’s substance abuse counseling service.
“It’s nice to know people now and since we’re both sophomores there will be plenty of chances to work on our networking skills and make a beneficial connection in the future,” Mead said.
Sterling Career Services hosts a Networking Night each spring semester and an internship night every fall. For more information about Student Success, contact Hunter Morgan at hunter.morgan@sterling.edu or career@sterling.edu or visit him in his office in the Mabee Library.
To keep up with Student Life events, visit their main site or follow them on Instagram.
Sterling College Observer 