Leverage Your Network

Your network is your most powerful tool to getting a job or internship. Every single job or internship I have had was a direct result of me finding people and creating a network that would advocate for me. I was lucky enough to have family and friends with strong networks, I didn’t have to look too far beyond my immediate sphere to get into contact with people. But all you need is one person, and from there ask if they know 1-2 people that they think you should talk to. While a slow start, it will rapidly expand.

Building networks and gaining mentors is not a one-way street. Don’t forget that you should also be providing value to these people. They may ask you for advice too, or maybe the conversation you have that day is to help them blow off steam and not talk about anything work/career related. These are great conversations, even if you don’t feel like you’re progressing towards a goal. Establishing a strong rapport and building the relationship is key. And one day, these people that have helped you will come knocking asking you for help. They’ve paid it forward, now repay them.

It’s also important to know your values. Write down your core values and what each value means to you (essentially, create your own definitions). Amazon’s leadership principles, Slalom’s core values, or your dream company’s mission statement are great starting points for inspiration. Core values are a decision-making framework. Whenever you need to make an important decision, make sure it aligns with your values. It can be tough to figure out what exactly you care about but start somewhere and edit or change your values as you learn new information. Knowing my values gave me clarity and focus, making it easier to level-set expectations with interviewers and hiring managers.

Lastly, use LinkedIn. Follow Wonsulting to get great early career advice from ex-Google, Snapchat, and Cisco employees who were just in your shoes. Also, follow Austin Belcak (ex-Microsoft), founder of Cultivated Culture, a website to help you build resumes and analyze if your resume matches a given job description.

Tags:

Academics – Political Science; Foster Professional Sales Program / Class of 2021
Interests – Tech, Data, Gaming
Identities – he/him

Work Experience
  • Associate Account Executive
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Communities
Jobs, Tech / Data / Gaming
Contact
Connect on LinkedIn