Finding Networking Contacts

How to Get Started
List of alumni who attended Networking Nights 2008-present
Networking Etiquette and Actions
Typical/Sample Networking Questions
Sample Networking Notes and Letters of Introduction

Alumni

• Rochester Career Advisory Network (RCAN) - NEW!!!
  RCAN is a database of several hundred UR alumni who have volunteered to serve as a resource to current students, as well as alumni. This can be a useful networking resource both for career exploration and for job/internship search activities. Volunteers are searchable by career field, major field of study, employer name, job title, and so on. They may be contacted directly via an email link on the profile page.
  Students may access RCAN after a brief orientation session with a counselor at the Career Center. To make an appointment or register for an orientation session, call 275.2366. Then, CLICK HERE to log in and access RCAN.
  Alumni may access RCAN through the Rochester Alumni Exchange located on the alumni website at http://www.rochester.edu/college/alumni.
  Questions about RCAN can be directed to Lgodwin@ur.rochester.edu.
• Networking Events
  The Career Center sponsors a number of networking events each year to facilitate connections among student and alumni. Events usually feature 20-30 alumni or parents representing a variety of career paths, fields of study, and industries. All students and alumni are welcome to attend.
  • Fall and Spring Student-Alumni Networking Night (held on campus)
  • Student-Alumni Networking Nights in New York, Boston, and Washington DC (January break)
  • Finance and Consulting Alumni Career Panel (held on campus mid-spring semester)
  Check out our events calendar for upcoming Networking Events.
• CareerShift
  CareerShift is a very powerful online tool that can pull information from all over the internet and compiles it into useful profiles for networking activities. Students may create a CareerShift account by following the directions on the CareerLink homepage. Alumni should follow the directions by logging into URExperienced.
  Once logged into CareerShift, click on the “My Contacts” tab, then click on the “Start a New Person Search” on the left hand menu. Lists of contacts can be generated by employer name, geography, industry, and position level. One particularly useful feature is the ability to search by school. Type “University of Rochester” (in quotes) in the “School Attended” field to find alumni who fit specific criteria. Once the list is generated, an envelope icon signifies an email address available in the profile. Phone numbers may also be available on the profiles.
  You have the ability to save contacts into folders, which can be helpful in organizing your networking strategy.
• LinkedIn
• Campus Affiliations (Greek organizations, Grassroots, etc.)

Faculty

Friends, family members, supervisors, co-workers, coaches and acquaintances

Professional Organizations (American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Marketing Association, etc.)

Random people in your field of interest

• Authors of books and articles; lecturers; people quoted in news articles; etc.
• Google and other search engines
• CareerShift (online resource sponsored by the Career Center)
• LinkedIn