You may be picturing a crowded room with business suits and name tags. Awkward introductions and hand shakes. Have I made you a little anxious yet? I am here to tell you networking does not need to be this tortuous dated ritual. There are opportunities to network in a multitude of different ways.
Here are a few I have found effective and painless:
1. LinkedIn: And no I do not mean clicking the add button to gain a connection. Actively use LinkedIn. Search for professionals in a specific field that you may be interested in. Send them messages about your interests and ask for pearls of wisdom, feedback, or even a good book reference. Anything to get the conversation started. You will be surprised at the number of responses you will get and the number of contacts you will now have in your network.
2. Attend Workshops or Conferences: Many schools offer workshops for free or at a discounted price to students. These are great places to be surrounded by professionals looking to learn and it facilitates conversation.
3. Join Your School's Student Clubs or Committees: Many people assume to network you have to charm a professional with 20+ years of experience but we forget to look at our peers when building our network. These people will be your colleagues in the future and building good relationships with them will go a long way after graduation.
