Networking at Canisius

Last month I attended the Canisius College Griff Fair to toss my hat in the ring for potential jobs. I selected precisely who I wanted to talk to before hand. I mainly did this so I could  prioritize who I wanted to meet. But, something oddly enough happened right as I got there. A friend of mine, Dionte, was there for Cradle Beach and their summer camps that they run. I have not seen him in a while so I decided to chat with him for a bit. His supervisor was there and hearing us talk about what we have been up to and he caught on to one thing I said: that my documentary would premiere soon. He introduced himself and began to ask a lot about the kind of work I did here at Canisius.  Not thinking, I start rambling on about my work with the Media Center, the Video Institute, and various other projects I had done. He sat there and listened the whole time and when I was done he gave me his card and started talking to me about their promotion plans and how they could use a good editor and camera guy, and I was interested, to be in touch. I was taken back by this for a slight moment; this was not one of the places I had intended pitching myself to, but here I was standing with business card in hand and an offer to do freelance work. I realized then that it was good for me to plan on who I wanted to talk to, but it is also very good to just start a conversation with a friend at those events and let people know what you are capable of. After that I went around the room and was pitching myself to places I did not originally think I was going to, but all of them were interested in my work and were handing me their cards and asking if I had a resume and business card they could have. I learned that whatever your major, there is always someone looking for your talent, hard work, and dedication.