Your Job or Internship Search is a "Contact Sport."
You have to talk to people in order to learn what opportunities are out there and which are a good fit for you. Networking is making contacts with people who can provide you with important information about specific careers and help you find and obtain an internship, job, or relevant information. Take advantage of opportunities both on and off campus to speak with people in various lines of work.
It is especially important to network in a down economy when employers are often less able to predict their hiring needs in advance and therefore rely more heavily on “just in time” hiring. For this reason, it is essential to use family, friends, OCS events, and the Harvard network to meet people in the organizations and industries where you would like to work. Stay in touch so you are at the top of their list when a position becomes available.
Why Network?
Networking can be used in many ways in your job search and throughout your career to:
- Explore careers - Learn about what types of work exist in different fields.
- Conduct field research - Learn about a specific field that you are interested in.
- Obtain information about organizations - Learn about an organization for which you might want to work.
- Obtain career advice - Ask people in the world of work about how you might prepare yourself for a certain field or position.
- Seek job-search advice - Ask for suggestions of people you might contact for information about job or internship possibilities.
- Create your own job or internship - Identify an activity or a type of work that you would like to do, and find someone who is willing to let you do it.
- "Sanity-check" your approach - Test your hypotheses about your "hire-ability" in a field or organization by asking the opinion of someone currently working within it.
Key Networking Resources
NEW! PEER2PEER NETWORK: Connect with 1,200 of your fellow Harvard students to discuss summer experiences! PIN protected.- Networking Power ½ Hour Workshops: see OCS Calendar
- Go to Career Fairs and speak informally with employers about jobs, internships, and career paths (see OCS Calendar and the Employer Events & OCR Calendars).
- Harvard Career Forum
- International Experience Fair
- The Harvard Crimson/OCS Journalism & Media Fair
- Federal Career Day
- Harvard Summer Opportunities Fair
- Attend OCS Career Programming and Career Panels (see OCS Calendar)
- Attend Employer Information and Networking Sessions (see Employer Events & OCR Calendars)
- Participate In Employer-Run Educational Programs (see Employer Events & OCR Calendars)
- Boutique Nights – Learn about the exciting opportunities at some of the smaller or niche employers in the On-Campus Recruiting Program's most popular industries (see Employer Events & OCR Calendars):
- Investment Banking
- Hedge Funds/Private Equity
- Consulting
- Explore Crimson Compass to network with Harvard Alumni employed in a variety of occupations who have volunteered to act as career advisers to current students and/or other alumni. Although it is not a job listing service, these alumni can be an excellent source of information and are great contacts for Informational Interviews. The Crimson Compass database can be accessed online.
- Conduct Informational interviews with people to get real world insight into various fields that will help you develop strategies for a more effective job search. You can find specific instructions about Informational Interviews on the OCS web site or pick up the pamphlet on how to conduct informational interviews on the first floor of OCS. OCS counselors can help you identify good people to speak with.
