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Post-grad survey shows networking as best way to get job after graduation

Networking, not internships, is the most effective way to get a job following graduation, according to a recently-released 2013 placement report conducted by Syracuse University’s Center for Career Services.

Career Services surveyed 3,039 SU 2013 graduates as a whole and then broke down the results based on each of the nine schools and colleges.

The placement report asked students whether or not they were employed, and if so, how long after graduation they secured their job, or if they were attending graduate school. The survey also included average salaries by school or college, an employment geographical summary and a graduate school geographical summary.

SU compares its results to a similar survey conducted by the University of Georgia because it is important to gauge how the university is doing in comparison, said Kelly Barnett, director of the Tina Press and David Rubin Career Development Center in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Based on 651 out of the 794 students who responded to one of the survey’s questions as “Employed/Full-Time,” 24.5 percent used personal contact and networking to secure a job after graduation.



“For us, networking has always been No. 1 and this continues to be the case throughout the years,” Barnett said. “It’s like the saying: ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.’ Actually, it’s who knows you.”

Close behind networking, at 22 percent, were jobs obtained through internships and/or previous positions.

“Networking has always been the most important aspect when securing a job after graduation,” said Pam Latham, client services manager for SU Career Services. “However, over the last several years we have seen an increase in the importance of internships.”

Latham also advised students to take full advantage of the career centers at SU, whether it’s Career Services or a specific school’s career center. Reaching out to alumni with the same degree or background as yourself or just talking to people interesting in your field of study can be beneficial in the future, Latham said.

According to the survey, only four out of the nine schools and colleges at SU said networking was the best way to secure a job. The majority of students in schools like the Martin J. Whitman School of Management or the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics listed internships or previous positions as what helped them find a job.

Both career development and obtaining employment are such complex processes that it is impossible to reduce to statistics or to determine the best way to engage in either process, said Mike Cahill, director of Career Services.

“Along with taking an active approach to career development, students should be sure to use resources like career offices, faculty and staff to help them make good academic and experiential decisions in order to develop and appropriate strategy that will lead to satisfying employment or further education,” Cahill said.

Barnett said while networking is important, it’s still important to have the necessary skills to stand out to potential employers.

“Securing a job after graduation is a lot like the game Jenga,” Barnett said. “If you remove a necessary skill like proper training, then the whole thing will fall down. Everything is contingent.”





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