How I Built My Network During Senior Year at a US University

Hi there! I'm Michael. Today I want to talk about how, when the job-search anxiety kicked in during my senior year in the US, I built my network in all sorts of ways and landed offers to stay in the US (though I didn't accept any of them, for personal reasons).

A quick intro: I currently work at Google as a strategic account manager. I graduated from Purdue University with a double major in Marketing and Acting, and I did two internships in the US. Every international student without status runs into the work visa problem, and if you studied something non-STEM like me, staying in the US to work is even harder. To be upfront: I did get offers, but I didn't take them, so I can't tell you whether the H1B lottery and green card would have gone smoothly. Still, if any of these describes you, it's worth reading this short post:

1. A student about to enter the workforce who's worried about not having much of a network

2. Someone thinking about switching jobs who doesn't know anyone at their target company

3. Someone who wants to apply to a specific school's Program and wants to learn more about the application process and others' experiences

In college I believed for a while that I just had to keep my head down and work hard, because I thought "ability" was the only way to keep up with people who had connections. Oh my God, was I wrong. What a self-indulgent, romantic idea.

Then one day in my sophomore year, I went to a talk by an alum in the food processing industry. Afterwards I told him about some of my career doubts, and said I thought I needed to build up my abilities because I didn't have the connections other people had. He looked even more puzzled: "Why do you think a network isn't an ability?"

That completely woke me up. I realized how important it is to get to know people. Very often, capable people have more connections, and well-connected people are usually capable too. The two go hand in hand. So I started my three-step plan for building a network:

1. Reaching out on LinkedIn

2. Going to all kinds of talks and following up afterwards

3. Joining training and Mentorship Programs

Reaching out on LinkedIn

If you don't have LinkedIn yet, go set one up now! This isn't about firing off random connection requests and then asking people straight away for a referral. Please, never do that. Try my approach instead:

a. List 3–5 companies you're interested in
b. Find alumni through the company search bar
c. Briefly research their background and send a connection request
d. Send 3–5 connection requests a week

Here's the example I used back then:

Dear (name),

My name is Michael Shen, a senior currently studying Marketing at Purdue University. I am wondering if you are willing to connect with me, and I have quite a few questions regarding (the specifics of their job), and possibly a career path! Thank you in advance!

Sincerely, Michael Shen

Honestly, this method is just a slightly more organized shotgun approach, so don't overthink it and don't get discouraged. Out of about 50 people, 1–2 will reply. I started doing this in my sophomore year and gradually got to know almost 20 impressive people in the industry. Every three or four months I'd say hi and thank them for giving me 30 minutes on a video call back then. Of those 20, 5 offered on their own to refer me. I'm very grateful to them!This matters, so I'll stress it: please be grateful to everyone who's willing to give you their time!

Going to talks

This one's simple. Go to all the talks your school holds, whether company recruiting sessions or alumni coming back to speak. They're all great resources. Afterwards, follow up with the speaker with your questions. Almost every school has a Newsletter announcing events, so make sure you follow it!

Many talks are also organized by students. In college, for example, I helped our Asian American Business Club host talks to share experience with younger students

Joining training and Mentorship Programs

I joined my university's Alumni Mentorship Program. Also, if you're an international student in the US, check out Ascend. Ascend is an Asian American Student Business Organization with chapters at many schools, and they'll also match you with industry professionals. I also went to Sofasoda to consult some experienced professionals. One session costs about a day's pay from a part-time job, and I thought it was well worth it.

In a Mentorship Program but not sure what to talk about with your Mentor? Here are two great questions that will get them talking for a long time:

1. I'm curious what your day-to-day is like, can you describe what a good day would look like? And, what a bad day would look like?

They usually have lots of stories when they get to the bad day, so ask them to say more

2. In your mind, how would you define a successful (their role, like engineer or marketing manager)

They'll describe a lot of what they think a successful person looks like. You can either take the chance to show those qualities, or ask how to develop them

Final thoughts

Does ability matter? Absolutely! Does your network matter? Just as much! Here I'd like to share a post by 你好，我姓艾名許利。 on building a network and asking the right questions: How should I actually ask people about careers and companies?

The worst thing is not just having a weaker hand than others, but failing to play the hand you've got well! Thanks for reading!

Bonus!

A quick plug: I've been teaching English speaking and communication for a long time. If you're interested in a consultation, follow my teaching account The Acorn Academy and DM me. Questions about interviews or career development are welcome too~