The power of networking
Tips to obtaining a job afer college
Networking, or developing contacts in the career world, can greatly influence the likelihood of getting a job after college.
As students take their first steps into life after college, they can make their paths smoother by increasing their network of contacts.
It’s often not what you know, but who you know, that makes a difference [in finding a job],
said Katie Habedank, Internship and Career Advising secretary.
According to the internship office Web site, nearly 75 percent of all jobs are secured through some type of networking and 80-90 percent of all jobs are never advertised. Most things happen by word of mouth,
Habedank said.
At BYU‑Idaho, networking becomes important not only in finding a post-graduate job, but also in finding an internship that can lead to a job.
More than 65 percent of students are offered full-time employment by their internship providers, said Kerrie Bailey, Internship and Career Services assistant.
When students leave an internship, many times the employer offers them a position or offers to help them find a position when they finish school,
Bailey said.
Network contacts may come from a variety of sources. Family and friends can be a good start but they can also include former employers, faculty on campus or people you meet at a dinner party,
Bailey said.
Just talking to people can go a long way in locating possibilities.
You need to start by talking to coworkers, friends, family, etc.,
Habedank said. You might get to know about an internship by talking to a friend who knows someone who knows someone who knows about a great opportunity.
Manatsawee Wudtapitak, a junior from Aumper Banpho, Chacho, Thailand, was able to find her first internship at the Dow Company through a relative.
Her second internship, which she starts this summer, she learned about through an e-mail from her department internship coordinator.
Because each department has differing internship requirements, it is recommended that students meet with their department internship coordinators by the end of their sophomore year so they know when to start looking for internships,
Bailey said.
The filtration a tip sometimes has to go through takes time as it is passed from one person to the next, which makes it important to start networking early.
You need to start at least two semesters in advance for internship or graduate positions,
Bailey said.
Whether it’s asking a friend’s father to put in a good word at the office or finding out how a former coworker likes their new job, networking can play a vital part in uncovering veiled job markets. 
