Top 5 Ways to Build a Professional Network During your MBA

Doing an MBA brings the opportunity to build a solid professional network and doing so is of utmost importance. In this article, we will tell you why it is important to do networking in the first place, who are the key people you have to network with and what are the best ways to build a professional network.

Why Network?

Networking is a crucial skill that is a must-have in any professional’s life and also while doing your MBA, as it can get you in a very advantageous position by:

Mentorship & Guidance: Interacting and building relationships with key peoples like faculties, alumni or people in the industry can help you in getting a mentor who can guide you throughout your MBA Journey. They can offer valuable advice, share their experience, and can impart you with industry knowledge. Their guidance can give you a clarity as to what to do, what not to do and can help you in deciding a career path.

Job and Internship Opportunities: Building a good network can help you get good live projects during your MBA. Networking can also help you in securing a good Summer Internship, by networking with campus recruiters, you can increase your chances of being referred and recommended, giving you a clear competitive edge over the rest of your batchmates. It also gives you the power of outsourcing your internship from companies that don’t visit your college. The same follows for the final placement as well, increasing your chances to land a job in your dream company or outsourcing placement for better job prospects.

Increase your knowledge and gain different perspectives: Interacting with people from diverse backgrounds can give you exposure to new ideas, different perspectives, and various disciplines know-hows. This is very valuable for career transitions and future business ventures.

Who to build Network With?

Key peoples you can build network with are:

Classmates: They are your peers coming from diverse backgrounds, some of them would have previous work experience in various industries. They are the set of people who would be the most accessible and you will be spending most of your time with them. Building Strong connections with them can lead to knowledge sharing and potential partnerships in future business ventures.

Seniors: Your immediate seniors can guide you to how to survive during your MBA as they have the fresh experience of it, they can be your most valuable connections, connecting with them can lead you to an easy way to get into clubs and committees, deal with administration, guidance to do projects and get previous year papers and notes. They can give you the most apt advice according to the context of your college.

Faculty Members: Interacting with your college professors can provide you valuable insights and direction. Most of the professors have previous industry exposure. Connecting with them can lead to getting live projects, internships and career advancements tips and tricks.

Alumni: Your college alumni will be the most willing professionals to help you, as they are from your same college, they can tell you how they cracked the placement of their particular company, what are the industry requirements, what certification would be valuable to do. They can also help you in connecting with other industry professionals. All in all they can be very great mentors.

Business Leaders: During your MBA program you will get a lot of opportunities to meet with them through guest lectures, events and more. They can share their industry experience and they can be a very good mentor and may provide you with referrals or job opportunities.

How to Network?

Engage in Campus Activities: Colleges have various clubs and committees working for a particular objective. Getting yourself into such organisations helps you learn skills and develop long lasting relationships with the individuals sharing similar interests.

Leverage Alumni Network: Colleges often organise Alumni Events, workshops and networking sessions. Colleges also have their own Alumni Portals, trying to make the most out of them. You can also reach out to them on social media platforms.

Engage in Case Competitions and Business Challenges: Participating in case competitions not only becomes a good learning experience, it also gets you to collaborate with people from different institutes and interact with other participants, expanding your network. It also exposes you to industry experts, judges and potential recruiters. Make sure to participate in various case competitions.

Use LinkedIn effectively and intensively: Linkedin is a very powerful social media platform which is a must have for any professional and aspiring professionals. LinkedIn allows you to engage in industry-specific groups and forums, you can make some valuable connections there. With LinkedIn you can reach out to various individuals like alumni, industry experts and talent acquisition managers. Connecting with all of them could prove to be a game changer.

Attend Industry Events and Conferences: These are very good platforms to do networking. Stay updated on upcoming events, and attend them. Engage in Conversations with various people, exchange contacts, and follow up after the event on LinkedIn.