Network & Make Career Connections

What is Networking?

Networking is connecting with individuals who know about or work in career fields of interest to you. Most students network regularly without knowing it through social media, campus organizations, attending job fairs, or with peers in class. You can also be intentional about networking by joining LinkedIn, PeopleGrove, or a Professional Association.

The more you network, the more opportunities you give yourself to meet and establish relationships with people who may be influential in your career.

One way to network is to set up Career Chats (Informational Interviews), which is a conversation with a professional that gives you an insider view into a job/industry you’re interested in. You can learn things like:
● What people actually do at work
● What people like and dislike about their job
● How people get started in the field
● Current trends in the job market

Networking Tools

PeopleGrove

A place for students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community partners to connect!

LinkedIn

A website for connecting with professionals from around the world.

Professional Associations

A network of people who work in the same industry or career field.

Common Myths & Reframes

REFRAME: Networking allows you to exchanging information, advice, and support on challenges. It’s for folks at any stage in their life and career.

REFRAME: Networking is about creating relationships and connections with others so that you can share resources and opportunities. It should be a relationship that is two-sided, and benefits all involved.

REFRAME: Networking is all about building supports, so anyone can participate. You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room to make connections! Simply play to your strengths and focus on one-on-one relationship building.

REFRAME: Whether you know it or not, you have a community of people around you who are able to support you as you build your professional life. Think about: classmates, friends, family members, past/present coworkers, supervisors, teachers, faculty, staff. Additionally, it’s not just about who you directly know, but who they know. Ask your community if they know anyone who may be in your field of interest!

Featured Articles

PeopleGrove 10-Day Challenge

Does PeopleGrove seem intimidating? Don’t worry because the Career Development Center has your back. We’ve created a way of spacing out the tasks of navigating through the platform without it becoming overwhelming. You can even do these steps when you …

By Ana Pereira
Ana Pereira
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A First-Year Guide to Career Development

Are you a first-year student at St. Kate’s and looking for an on-campus job? Need help with a resume? Do you have absolutely no idea what you want to major (or minor) in as an undergraduate? Are you curious about graduate school? Career Development is the place where you can find resources, answers to all these questions and more!

By Morgan Shelley (they/them)
Morgan Shelley (they/them) Peer Advisor
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PeopleGrove Networking Assignment

This assignment has been designed to be easily implemented into a classroom’s curriculum. Feel free to make a copy, and make any edits you feel will be helpful for your class.

In this assignment, students will be asked to conduct …

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Contact & Location

Phone
651-690-8890
Address

CdC | Room 210
2004 Randolph Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105

Career Service Hours

M 8:00am - 4:30 pm
T 8:00am - 6:00 pm
W 8:00am - 4:30 pm
TH 8:00am - 6:00 pm
F 8:00am - 4:30 pm