Gettysburg College helps students build a professional network by offering resources like career advisors, alumni connections, and a dedicated platform to support career exploration and employment readiness.
Forming relationships to build your professional network is the key to finding the best career for you. Gettysburg College’s Center for Career Engagement provides all the tools you need to create a network of connections that can help you on your journey. With a dedicated career advisor assigned before you even arrive on campus on your Personal Advising Team, Gettysburg is with you for every step.
While you balance your academic path with your career engagement journey at Gettysburg, CCE can connect you with a network of more than 32,000 Gettysburg alumni. By engaging with the College’s dedicated networking platform connectGettysburg and meeting with career advisors, you will be well-prepared and ready for employment.
1. Make a blueprint.
- Identify your strengths, interests, and values to figure out a potential career path. Make an appointment with a career counselor in the Center for Career Engagement to discuss your goals or access other resources listed on the CCE webpage and Handshake.
- Create goals for what you want to accomplish in networking. Ensure you do not ask for a job, internship, or referral—this should not be the goal for your networking. Networking is about building relationships.
2. Gather resources.
- Craft your elevator pitch that can grab a person’s attention in 10 seconds and keep it for 30 seconds. Include your career aspirations, skills, strengths, and any pertinent work, internship, or leadership experiences.
- Prepare thoroughly. Research the individuals you will meet and the industry in which they work. Come prepared with open-ended questions to ask during your meeting. Don’t forget to bring a resume just in case someone might want to send it along to a hiring manager!
3. Reach out.
- Reach out to your own connections and create new ones via connectGettysburg, LinkedIn, or email. When messaging someone you don’t know, write a simple but professional note stating why you’re interested in being connected with them.
- Plan your activities and your dress professionally, and honor the time you and your contact have allotted. The way your network develops can tell potential employers about how you would approach a situation at work.
4. Build a foundation.
- Ask for permission to stay in touch with the person at the end of the meeting and clarify the best way to stay connected in the future. After the interview, write a thank-you note. While an email is also acceptable, a handwritten note is highly appreciated and can go a long way in strengthening the relationship.
- Share information across your network. Give back when possible. People are more willing to share information if they trust your intentions and motivations.
5. Fortify the relationship.
- Maintain communication with your network. Effective networking relationships develop and sustain over time. Networking is not a one-time transaction.
- Follow up on all leads or contacts provided to you. It is considered professional to acknowledge the effort taken by others to share them with you. Update your contacts about your activities and leads so they remain informed of your progress and can continue to assist.
Build your network on the new connectGettysburg platform now.
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By Katie Lauriello ’25
Photos provided by Abbey Frisco, Jason Minick, Julianne Cabour ‘12
Posted: 03/25/25