For many of us the term networking is pretty scary. LinkedIn, job fairs, mentors, meeting business people and professionals – all this is a little daunting. I myself have never liked networking or talking to people for that matter, I’m shy and never know what to say or what questions to ask when confronted with the opportunity. But I’ve made attempts, especially now as I’m finishing up my B.A., heading into my Master’s and soon the job market. Making connections is important not only for jobs but also grad school. It is important and can be surprisingly easy.
One of the easiest ways to network is simply to get involved. Join the student society, like the Carleton Art History Undergraduate Society to meet other students. They may not be business professionals but this is the basic idea behind networking, to make contacts and connect with people. Another simple way of networking is to talk to your professors. They were once students, struggling too and worried about the future. Many of the professors here in the department were or are curators so if you’re interested in museum work or research and academia, go talk to them. Trust me, their doors are always open to students. Carleton wants to help you network too! They have an alumni mentoring program that I participated in last year. It connected me with Sandra Dyck the Director of the Carleton University Art Gallery. I got to sit down with her in an informal way and I got to ask her all my questions about the gallery, curating and museum work. She in turn connected me with people too, like curators at the National Gallery of Canada. Also just going to events hosted by the department or exhibition openings are a great way to meet people in the arts community is Ottawa and distinguished scholars who come to give special lectures.
Looking to connect with people outside the university maybe seems more difficult but it’s not. Volunteering is an easy way to network. The Ottawa Art Gallery is a great place to volunteer, (it also looks great on a resume) even if you’re just helping out with their Creative Sundays activities for children, you’re still connecting. For me it led to even more volunteer opportunities such as helping to select and install artworks in the Art Sales and Rentals gallery, which is a fun and valuable learning experience. I’ve become more confident in my networking abilities and I’ve even started reaching out to professionals to ask them my questions and get advice. You’d be surprised how willing people are to sit down with you for 15 minutes or chat on the phone. Networking doesn’t have to be scary and you may already be doing it without having realized it. I’m still trying to avoid LinkedIn but I’m trying my best to network. Don’t think of it as networking, think of it as simply getting involved. You never know, it could do you a lot of good in the future.