By Tanuja Ramchal It’s reported that 85% of job openings are filled through referral. This means your network is a critical factor when it comes to advancing your career. Yet, for so many job seekers, networking is one of the scariest aspects of the career process. Why does it induce such fear? From my experience, it boils down to how networking has traditionally been viewed from a career perspective - to schmooze when you need a job. This approach treats other human beings as a means to an end, a way to gain favor. And since for most people it feels icky to use others for their own gain, they resist networking. If this is networking, I would rather mindlessly watch Netflix than interact with others too. Fortunately, it’s not. You see, the reason networking is emphasized ad nauseam is because statistics prove that most jobs come through a person's network. What many overlook, though, is that the contacts through which these jobs came in most instances were not p

Ritagya Mehrish (MBA ’19) Working at Deloitte as an IT Audit Senior Consultant has been a valuable learning experience for me with numerous opportunities for professional and personal growth. During the last few months, I have worked across a range of projects from Cybersecurity to IT Audit, expanding my understanding of the technology risks faced by businesses and the role I can play in minimizing it. Prior to receiving this offer, I was looking out for both internship and full-time opportunities, which was a bit challenging since I was enrolled full-time in school. To build my professional skills and get in touch with prospective employers, I utilized every possible service offered by the school, including GCMC services like one-on-one mentoring, resume and cover letter reviews, attending events like Mock Interview nights, networking events and the Executives on Campus program. I also volunteered for events organized by the graduate clubs such as office site visits and Meet the

Image Credits, Copyright:(c) Henrik Sorensen By Tanuja Ramchal On a weekly basis, I meet with students who tell me that they’re applying to jobs and are either not hearing back or are getting called for roles they’re not interested in. Understandably, this is frustrating. In cases like this, I start by looking at their resume. From a quick glance, I can tell whether the resume is effective or not. A strong resume is highly targeted, which boils down to marketing yourself the right way. To better understand this, let’s look at an example of marketing done well. Consider the approach of Whole Foods. The chain is known for appealing to customers who are willing to pay premium prices for quality products. This is intentional in terms of branding. If Whole Foods, though, was not deliberate in its marketing and messaging, it would be viewed as just another generic grocery store that sells milk, bread and eggs. Without highlighting the specific needs it aims to meet for its specifi