Networking : Its a Small World After All

Any teacher, avisor or boss can tell you the importance of networking. Networking, aka helping create opportunites for  yourself by conversing with people from your industry. Although it seems intimidating, always remember that the person you are about to talk to was in your shoes once! Its a fact, people enjoy sharing what they do for a living and talking about what they have acomplished. So why not introduce yourself and help put a name to a face. 

 A few key tips I have learned about networking:

1. Never be afraid to introduce yourself, as long as you present your self in a professional manner you really have nothing to loose.
2. Always have a business card on you. Although it may seem outdated, handing a professional in your field a business card with your name, school, major and contact information can trigger a memory or name recognition next time you send out your resume. ( Plus, almost all colleges, Marist included, will print personalized business cards for a reasonable price)
3. Be yourself, but keep it professional. Don't try and act like someone you are not, but also remember that these are people you could come across in your future. Never bad mouth a boss or company in the presense of other professionals, you never know who knows who.
4. With that being said, it really is a small world. You may have a connection to someone in the industry you are intereste in without even realizing. ( For example, one of the clients at my internship, Mally Roncal ( Celebrity Makeup Artsist) happens to be a Marist Alum, not only that, so is her personal assistant!)

A Day of Firsts

Today marked crucial firsts in my Marist in Manhattan experience. To start, it was my first day interning with The Brooks Group, a lifestyle public relations firm. I could not have asked to be placed with a better company for the semester. With a staff of less then 10, as an intern, I can already tell I am going to have a real-life experience in the world of pr. Everyone was extremely welcoming; it felt more like my first day back after vacation rather than my first day as an intern. Today was also the first day I experienced Manhattan in the rain. Lets just say, my rain boots that I debated bringing came to great use today.

After a long, but great day interning I met up with the rest of the Marist in Manhattan Crew and experienced my very first Broadway play. When I learned that we were given the chance to see Memphis, a Tony award winning musical, I must say, I was not the most interested. Musicals have never really been my thing. I could not be happier to say that I judged a book by its, well... playbill. I absolutely loved it, the music was fantastic, the dancing was incredible, I really do not have a bad thing to say about my first Broadway show. In fact, I am already looking into seeing another. Needless to say, today was a successful day of firsts, the first of many more.