Recently,
Sheridan College hosted their Annual
Industry Networking Night
for advertising students that are graduating in the Spring 2015. There were representatives from more than 30 companies from all areas of the
media, marketing and digital communication industry that participated.
Nights like this are worth attending as students can learn about the different positions that are available in a company, possibility of internships and even connect and learn from industry professionals. At this event, students could even have their portfolios reviewed. As if that wasn’t enough – there were door prizes! Each student got two tickets that could enter them in a draw to win, ‘ A Day in the Life Of’ for different companies.
The night itself is important but leading up to the event is what I found to be the most crucial and a tad stressful. You need to prepare! I had my Resume reviewed by a career counsellor at Sheridan College and I also prepared business cards, did my research on the companies in attendance and even (in advance) put together my whole outfit. I wanted to make sure I was really ready – being prepared gives me the confidence I need to get the job done.
On the actual night, I found the representatives to be very easy to talk to. I did have a game plan going in. I had chosen a few companies I was eager to talk to and one by one, I made my way through the crowd. Side note: It can get really crowded, I am not a clumsy person, but I managed to bump into students a bunch of times while trying to move around the room.
When the night is done, please don’t forget to connect/contact the people who met within 24 hours. I did send out emails but there were 2 people that I felt I really connected with, so with the business cards they gave me, I actually called them to say thank you for talking to me. They took it really well and were pleasantly surprised to hear from me.
I believe there is another networking night coming up in February. I usually find out all the details via Sheridan's SAA Facebook page. So if you are reading this and have any suggestions or advice on how to make the next networking night even more successful, comment below!
Nights like this are worth attending as students can learn about the different positions that are available in a company, possibility of internships and even connect and learn from industry professionals. At this event, students could even have their portfolios reviewed. As if that wasn’t enough – there were door prizes! Each student got two tickets that could enter them in a draw to win, ‘ A Day in the Life Of’ for different companies.
The night itself is important but leading up to the event is what I found to be the most crucial and a tad stressful. You need to prepare! I had my Resume reviewed by a career counsellor at Sheridan College and I also prepared business cards, did my research on the companies in attendance and even (in advance) put together my whole outfit. I wanted to make sure I was really ready – being prepared gives me the confidence I need to get the job done.
On the actual night, I found the representatives to be very easy to talk to. I did have a game plan going in. I had chosen a few companies I was eager to talk to and one by one, I made my way through the crowd. Side note: It can get really crowded, I am not a clumsy person, but I managed to bump into students a bunch of times while trying to move around the room.
When the night is done, please don’t forget to connect/contact the people who met within 24 hours. I did send out emails but there were 2 people that I felt I really connected with, so with the business cards they gave me, I actually called them to say thank you for talking to me. They took it really well and were pleasantly surprised to hear from me.
I believe there is another networking night coming up in February. I usually find out all the details via Sheridan's SAA Facebook page. So if you are reading this and have any suggestions or advice on how to make the next networking night even more successful, comment below!
