By Nicole Egan
I recently graduated Iona College with a Master’s degree in Public Relations. Although I was taught many lessons in each of my classes, one of the most important lessons that I learned wasn’t found in my textbooks. Regardless of the subject matter, every single teacher stressed to us the importance of networking and how this will affect our future.
The administration, as well as the faculty, reinforced the idea that networking is a vital skill that every student should be involved in. Internships, teachers, sites like LinkedIn, etc. are all great ways to network and can be instrumental for future jobs for yourself, friends/family, or provide great opportunities for your business. Everyone you encounter in all walks of your life can somehow play a role in your life – now or in the future.
I’ve noticed the power of networking outside of the classroom at my job here at Robin Leedy & Associates where we help our clients engage in social networking PR, as well as traditional media relations. Whether I’m networking with editors of magazines or bloggers, it’s all about the relationships you can build. You never know who whose path you’ll cross, so it’s important to treat everyone respectfully and not burn any bridges. Returning calls and emails promptly, is just one way to show someone that their communication means something to you – even if just to say, “Thanks. Happy to help you.” It takes only a few seconds or minutes of my life, yet that communication could someday be very important to me.
The value of networking is immeasurable, and to me this lesson was worth the cost of my graduate school tuition. If you want to join my network, you can find me on LinkedIn. I look forward to networking with you!