Let’s say you’re conducting a job search and aiming for an annual salary of $100,000, but a company you’ve interviewed with offers you $87,000. You could grudgingly accept it, walk away, or try to negotiate.
You decide to negotiate and …
Networking involves making connections and growing your professional community, and having a strong sense of your personal brand will support these efforts.
Networking can take place anywhere and with anyone! Whether former supervisors or colleagues, professors, classmates, or family friends — connecting with people who share your professional interests can help you learn about career paths, job opportunities, and more. In addition to these interactions, we encourage you to use Tufts resources and connections to take a strategic, professional approach.
The personal branding process, meanwhile, comprises your efforts to understand your unique value and reflect on how you’ll communicate those experiences, interests, and goals to networking contacts, whether they’re peers or potential employers.
Goals of Networking
- Explore career fields, professions, and individual organizations through an insider’s perspective
- Develop personal criteria to make career choices
- Improve interview skills through career conversations
- Expand your circle of connections in fields of interest
- Learn about jobs & internships with target employers
- Give back by advising others
Informational Interviewing
Informational interviews, otherwise known as short conversations about careers, are valuable throughout your career journey. As you explore the many paths open to those with a Friedman School degree, it’s beneficial to schedule conversations on a regular basis to continue researching options and refining your ideas.
LinkedIn Resources
It’s likely that you already have a LinkedIn profile and connections; if not, it’s a great way to make a strong first impression with networking contacts online. In addition to creating a strong LinkedIn profile, you’ll find helpful contacts and information through LinkedIn groups. Searching by school name or keyword will yield many communities of like-minded professionals.
