Not a fan of networking? Throw in a little pre-March Madness

The hardest part of networking is also the hardest part about starting a conversation with someone you’d like to ask out on a date…figuring out what you’re going to say to break the ice. Unlike dating situations where it’s difficult to find a common interest in a particular sports team, when you’re networking with a fellow graduate from the same college or university, bringing up your college sports team can be a great conversation starter.

During my years working in career services, I’ve even found this to be effective when meeting new recruiters. You don’t have to be an expert or a sports junkie to use it to your advantage; you just have to know enough to have a brief, yet meaningful, conversation that you can use to segue into other topics. And, don’t assume interest in sports varies by gender. I’ve met some female recruiters and alumnae who seemingly know more about our sports programs than our Athletic Director.

What do you need to know to speak intelligently and effectively about your college sports team?

Name of the school’s mascot. The last thing you’d want to do is refer to the wrong name when speaking with a recruiter or possible networking contact. In some cases, you’ll also want to know what the mascot is…take, for example, Stanford’s tree…I’m still not exactly sure of the back story on the mascot so I wouldn’t be able to talk about it if I were networking with a Stanford grad. The same could be said for the following mascots: Banana Slugs (University of California-Santa Cruz), Catamounts (University of Vermont), and Zips (University of Akron).

Name and stats of the star player(s). Again, you don’t have to be able to recite season and life-time stats of everyone on the team, just be able to know some basic information on their one or two best players. When I worked at UNC, this usually meant talking about Tyler Hansbrough. And, equally important, you need to be able to speak to whether he or she had either a great game or a really bad game. That allows you to start conversations with lead-ins like “Can you believe that shot (insert name here) hit?”

How they’re doing as a team. If they’re doing really well, you can leverage that to start the conversation. If they’re terrible, you can commiserate as a way to build rapport. When I was an undergrad at the University of Pittsburgh, our football team was…how should I say…not good. So, when I would run into Pitt alumni, I would use the “I feel your pain” approach to start the conversation.

Starting a networking conversation by referencing college sports early in the conversation is an effective strategy for most job seekers, but especially for international students studying in the U.S. Bridging cultural divides, hobbies, and interests can be incredibly difficult. Being able to speak about your college or university football or basketball team can really help break the ice. Over the years, the international students who have fared better at networking are often those who were able to either initiate, or respond to, conversations about the college team.

Why career fairs and resumes don’t always mix

You put on your best suit, shine your dress shoes, print off copies of your resume on fancy resume paper and make your way to a career fair. You’re excited that you’re going to have a chance to talk to representatives from a few different companies that you’re really interested in.

 

You arrive at the first career fair booth, nail your elevator speech and reach into your padfolio to grab a copy of your resume but before you have a chance to hand it to him, you’re stopped dead in your tracks.  “We’re not accepting resumes. It’s best if you apply through our website.” What? As a job seeker, that can be incredibly frustrating. As one job seeker I spoke with recently put it, “If I’d known that, I could have applied from the comfort of my own home without having to get all dressed up.” His frustration revolved around two common questions.

 

“Why do companies even go to a career fair if they’re not going to accept resumes?” Part of the reason more companies are pushing applicants to their website is because they have to document anyone who submits a resume as “an applicant.” The easiest way to do that is to push all candidates to their online application.

 

“If they’re not going to accept resumes, what’s the point of going to the fair?” First, you never know beforehand which companies will accept your resume on the spot and which ones are going to push you to their site. Don’t get discouraged if they’re not accepting resumes. You’re still getting a chance to learn more about the company and make a connection that could help you get your foot in the door at some point down the road. Companies usually attend career fairs because they’re looking to hire candidates. So, although not ideal, it’s still better to go than to stay home and just apply through their site.

 

I know it’s definitely frustrating to go to a career fair and not be able to submit your resume to a recruiter but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go. Just realize that you’re going primarily to 1) have a chance to interact with someone from the company (a great way to assess fit) and to 2) make a personal connection with a recruiter that could help you down the road.