Raa Speed Networking Article

U N D E R G R A D U AT E C O M M I T T E E S P O T L I G H T

Ready. Set. Network! BY JOYCE ESSIG LC ’05

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ooking to connect with other professionals in a fun setting, and help students get a head start on their careers in the process? The RAA’s Undergraduate Committee has an opportunity for you. It’s called Rutgers Speed Networking, and the payback is quite attractive. Held in conjunction with the Livingston Alumni Association and Rutgers Career Services, the annual event enables both students and alumni to interact with dozens of working professionals. During the course of a very busy evening, participants learn more about what these professionals do, while gaining valuable insights and advice that can help them in their own careers.

Top: Janet Jones from Rutgers Career Services and Gino Gentile RC ’80. Above (l to r): Members of Livingston Alumni Association Board of Directors– Michael Middleton, president Marty Siederer, first vice president Jason Goldstein, and board secretary Eric Schwarz

More than 150 students and 75 alumni participated in the Speed Networking Event held last year.

Speed networking is very similar to the wildly popular speed dating. It consists of brief, three-minute conversations that students have with alumni and employers in fields as diverse as law, education, entertainment, communications, engineering and business. Once the time is up, the students move on to the next professional, then the next, ultimately giving them the chance to cover the waterfront when it comes to career choices, advice and tools for communicating with professionals. Following the one-hour speed networking session, there is a break-out component where students can hone in on contacts or business fields they are most interested in pursuing. “The event is designed to teach students the art of networking, which is a critical job search skill set,” says Janet Jones, senior associate director of Rutgers Career Services.

The Concept Takes Off

In April 2006, CareerBuilder.com contacted Rutgers about hosting the first-ever speed networking event. “The first event

didn’t go very well,” recalls Undergraduate Committee co-chair Gino Gentile RC ’80. “We liked the idea, though, and wanted to see how we could make it better.”

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The event is designed to teach students the art of networking, which is a critical job search skill set. — Janet Jones

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Sr. Associate Director, Rutgers Career Services

So began a spirited marketing campaign led by the Undergraduate Committee that involved the Targum; handing out flyers across campus; and enlisting students like Gentile’s daughter Alyssa to act as speed networking ambassadors to find out what people thought of the Continued on page 14 FALL 2009

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Speed Networking from page 13 concept. The campaign worked like a charm. Speed networking soon took hold on campus, and Rutgers became a pioneer in planning and staging these highly rewarding events. Before long, schools like University of Hartford and NJIT were reaching out to Rutgers for information on how to do speed networking.

Rutgers Speed Networking Wednesday, December 2nd

Busch Campus Center – 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Registration and light dinner for alumni begins at 6:00 p.m.

Register online at www.rutgersalumni.org or call 732-932-7474

Over the past few years, the event has blossomed at Rutgers with the introduction of resume critique clinics and career workshops. And in December 2008, the RAA, together with Rutgers Career Services and the Livingston Alumni Association, organized the most successful speed networking event to date with more than

150 students and 75 alumni professionals. For the first time, the committee seeded the audience with employers, but did not tell anybody. That way, students could speak freely – in effect, do impromptu job interviews — without the stress and nervousness that can come with a formal sit-down. Students did have the chance at the end to submit their resumes to employers.

High Payback

What does the Rutgers community think of speed networking? Surveys show that 90 percent of the feedback is positive. For students, the event teaches them how to connect and develop relationships, and forces them to interact with strangers. What professional alumni take away from the event is the chance to network and share with others, and help students prepare for their careers. Anecdotally, the events are known to have a high return, with participants being invited to job interviews and, in some cases, hired. In other cases, students have changed careers paths as a result of insights gained at speed networking. This year’s Rutgers Speed Networking event will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at the Busch Campus Center from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Alumni and employer volunteers can arrive early to enjoy a light dinner and program warm up between 6 and 7 p.m. The event is open to Rutgers students and alumni. Door prizes and other giveaways make it an even more festive occasion.

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Alumni volunteers are urgently needed to help accommodate the growing numbers of participating students. To sign up or to learn more about the event, visit http://www.rutgersalumni.org/ !

Several tips for getting the most out of a speed networking event: • Go in with an open mind. You might meet somebody in a field you have no interest in, yet find out in the course of conversation they can really help you. • Relax and have fun. This event helps participants master the informal banter that takes place during an interview. It also gives students the chance to talk out loud and think things through.