Feb. 20 speed networking event gives students a taste of the "real world"

Feb. 20 speed networking event gives students a taste of the "real world"

Columbia College Evening Campus

March 1, 2013

The Feb. 20 speed networking event hosted by Career Services and Alumni Relations was a great success. Students began the evening in the Lee Room with a crash course in how to network; the Career Services staff offered tips on introductions, handshakes and appropriate questions to ask during a networking event, among other things. The students, who registered in advance, also received 30 business cards that listed their names, contact information, major and year in school.

At 6 p.m. the doors to the Banquet Room opened, and each professional sat at a table with two or three students. Every seven minutes a bell (specifically a cowbell belonging to Community and Alumni Relations Coordinator Sam Fleury) rang, and students moved clockwise around the room. Students were not looking for jobs or undergoing interviews. Rather, they asked the professionals about their workplace experiences and for advice about the “real world.”

 After visiting every table, students mingled with professionals at a dessert social. Over cookies, brownies, Rice Krispy treats and cupcakes, all agreed the evening was successful – and necessary in this economy.