Knowing people can help students find jobs

The old phrase, “it’s not what you know, but who you know,” might be a piece of advice…The old phrase, “it’s not what you know, but who you know,” might be a piece of advice students should take to heart.

“An academic degree qualifies you for employment, but it is oftentimes who you know that gets your foot in the door,” Cheryl Finlay, director of the Office of Career Development and Placement Assistance, said in an email. “Your personal and professional connections can help get your resumé into the right hands, granting you an interview that may have otherwise been difficult to obtain.”

Finlay and academic advisors from various departments agree that networking is an important component of finding a job post-graduation, and advisors claim that Pitt offers many opportunities for students to schmooze with potential employers — at both expected and unexpected times.

The opportunities to network are nearly endless, and it doesn’t necessarily mean heading out and speaking with random people at a job or career fair.

“Every minute of every day is an opportunity to network,” Finlay said. “Students should consider those individuals that they already know, including family and family friends. However, to expand their network, students should attend events and programs that provide them with exposure to individuals within companies and careers of interests.”

Finlay added that students should develop an “elevator speech,” in which they can quickly present themselves to potential employers with their “academic and career aspirations.”

And for some students, the opportunity to network coincides with receiving real-world job experience.

Christine Berliner, an academic advisor in the biological sciences department, said that students who work in research labs often stay with the lab after graduation.

“For a lot of our students, it’s hands-on experience” Berliner said. “Usually, if they are already in the lab, a good 20 percent will stay in the lab after graduation.”

She said that students can use FutureLinks, a service offered by Pitt that displays job openings, or directly approach a professor or a lab to find a job. But, she added, knowing people always helps.

“It’s a combination of looking through job openings and maybe a friend or a roommate might know of an opening,” she said.

Like the biological science department, the Swanson School of Engineering also offers a program that offers both experience and networking opportunities.

Maureen Barcic, the director of cooperative education in the Swanson School of Engineering, said the program currently has about 800 students who spend a year working at various companies through various fields of engineering.

During this time, students don’t go to classes, but instead focus their time working with both big and small companies and building relationships within them. She said 95 percent of graduates who co-oped in the past year currently hold jobs, according to a survey conducted by the department.

Barcic said that in addition to showing a company their engineering skills, students need to show that they have a strong personality.

“Try to convey to employers that you are enthusiastic, have high standards and are willing to contribute,” Barcic said.

Finlay said students should also attend job and career fairs, such as the fall Career Fair on Sept. 25 and Pathway to Professions, a networking event with alumni, on Oct. 23.

Finlay said that networking is important in any profession, because it is an “important life skill.” Furthermore, she said that there is really no limit to the networking possibilities.

“You can never know too many people,” Finlay said. “Be sure to take advantage of all networking opportunities, in order to build your own personal and professional networks.”