Chen Liu is expected to graduate from the MS Information Systems program by Spring 2024. A couple of fun facts about her are that she likes spicy food and traveling.
Chen Liu was in her Tools for Clear Speech workshop when a group of peers began to chat about the job seeking process. When she joined the conversation, one of the students mentioned to her that there would be an International Student and Alum Networking event later that day. They were all going and invited her to come along as well. She eagerly accepted the invitation and, within a few hours, went to the event to meet other students and alumni to learn about their professional experiences thus far.
When I sat with Chen Liu for an interview on her experience at the networking event, I asked what motivated her to go, even with such short notice. She stated that finding a job in the data industry, especially since the pandemic, has been difficult. She therefore wanted to take any and every opportunity she could to improve her chances of reaching her professional goals.
“Did you feel nervous about networking and if so, how were you able to overcome that nervousness?” I asked. Chen Liu confidently responded, “I am never nervous to have a conversation with anyone, even if you are the president.” She went on to explain that mindset is key. A person should view networking as an opportunity to have conversations with other people about their experiences. It is not an opportunity to beg for anything, even a job! Put differently, networking becomes easier when people are more focused on learning from others, instead of on their own performance or ability to impress people. For Chen Liu, it was also all about attaining the information she wanted in regard to the field of data and information systems. Additionally, she said that for international students, networking events can be an opportunity to practice English-speaking skills.
There are certainly benefits to attending a networking event, especially as an international student. From her experience, Chen Liu claimed that such an opportunity allowed her to meet people who had surprising, eye-opening perspectives. By way of illustration, while at the International Student and Alum Networking event, she met an individual who was in operations––a role that Chen Liu was not necessarily looking for. Despite this, she asked the individual some questions to which the ‘operations manager’ responded with some answers that Chen Liu never heard before. They were different than the same old generic answers she often received. Realizing that networking can lead to learning new ways of seeing the world, Chen Liu immediately saw the benefit of attending the event.
That is not to say that there were not any challenges. For Chen Liu, going to the event the day she heard about it gave her only very little time to prepare. She indeed had so many questions she wanted to ask but was unable to remember all of them. Her advice to other students: go to a networking event prepared with all your questions. You only have so much time, so don’t waste it by not asking the questions you wanted to ask.
Speaking of advice, I then asked Chen Liu what other tips she may have for international students when it comes to networking. She suggested practicing. Students may have a great deal of professional experience and may fit some available job positions very well, but the only way other people can know this is if students express their goals, questions, and capabilities clearly. Chen Liu also said that students should not wait to be talked to. Instead, they should be proactive and start asking questions when the chances arise. After all, time is limited.
In terms of the general job search, Chen Liu had some more interesting advice. She said that in graduate school, students need to have a specific, professional goal. Knowing that “target”, students can then look up occupational roles that they aspire to. She then suggested looking at the requirements for those roles and then registering for classes that would help students learn the skills needed to meet those job requirements. That way, each class would serve a particular purpose toward the job search.
This, and all that Chen Liu shared in our interview, really amazed me. International and domestic students alike can learn so much from her perspectives on networking. Indeed, networking can be a little nerve-racking, but it does not necessarily have to be that way if we are able to see it as a learning opportunity more than a chance to impress. And by going to these events, we may very well meet people who share entirely new, thought-provoking ideas. But as Chen Liu repeatedly emphasized, networking sessions provide only so much time. It is therefore not to be wasted. If there is a networking event, even in just a few hours, go! Chen Liu did just that and got so much value out of her experience. So can you.
Elizabeth Moy is a graduate student in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences at Baruch College, pursuing an MA in Corporate Communications. She is also a College Assistant with the Zicklin Graduate Career Management Center.
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