Networking

Networking is the process of building connections and forming a professional community.

If you’ve ever kept in touch with a former teacher or supervisor, gone to a professor’s office hours, talked with a family friend about your major, or made conversation with someone on a plane, you’ve participated in a form of networking. In addition to these interactions, we encourage you to utilize Tufts resources and connections to take a strategic, professional approach. Connecting with people who share professional interests can help you learn more about majors, career paths, internships, jobs, graduate school, and more.

Networking Myths

  • You must be extroverted to network successfully.
    Fact: Networking often involves one-on-one conversations, rather than large, formal events with many people present. Those opportunities exist as well, but they are not the only form of networking.
  • You need to have connections and I don’t have any.
    Fact: As a Tufts student, you do have connections. You have Tufts alumni, professors, and fellow students; all of whom have their own personal networks to share.
  • No one will want to meet with me.
    Fact: People love to talk about themselves and their careers. Tufts alumni volunteer to be part of The Herd and the Tufts University Career Network on LinkedIn to network with students and alumni.
  • You should only talk to people at senior levels.
    Fact: Recent graduates are very familiar with entry-level positions and the interview process. Similarly, fellow students can often speak to the internship hiring process for organizations that interest you.

Featured Articles

Featured Resources

Tufts Career Center Professional Development Fund for Undergraduate Students
From Here, to There: A Podcast with the Career Fellows

How did they get from here, to there? Career Fellows talk to Tufts alumni about their career journeys, how they …

Interstride

Interstride is an interactive career platform that enhances the career exploration and job search process for international students. With web …

Career Conversations

A career conversation (a.k.a. informational interview) is a chat with someone who can give you an insider’s perspective on a …