When I learned that I was supposed to attend a networking event this semester, I had a hard time even bringing myself to commit to one. I get so nervous being around new people, especially people I’m really trying to impress! I attended a networking event put together by PRSSA where two speakers gave a background of how they got to where they are today, and then a few more came for the speed networking session.
The two speakers were Zack Schneider from 15 Fingers, and Therese Hickok from the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. Both individuals were fairly young in age, but had SO much experience under their belts that they were quite intimidating to someone like myself. Therese proved that this is really a fear that young adults/college graduates like us need to get rid of.
Therese told us that she basically got to where she is today by putting her foot out there, getting to know as many people as she could, and staying available. What do I mean by staying available? Well, one of the most interesting pieces of advice Therese gave the group of ladies in front of her was to get lots and lots of experience. When you graduate, work. Don’t immediately go to graduate school or take a full time job that pulls you out of the market, but rather work for free if you have to. Do another internship and work part-time to make money, so you can get that bit more of experience.
Her words of advice helped me a lot, especially because my stress levels are SO high right now trying to find that job! I would rather have a paying job than another internship, but I know now that I may go through 4-5 of these smaller jobs until I find the right fit for me, and I’m totally okay with that.
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