A Harvard degree is helpful toward getting a job, but the people that you will meet in college can be just as important as the name recognition that comes along with a big school like Harvard. The better your network and support systems are, the more likely you are to receive the job that you are looking for.
A degree from Harvard is extremely helpful when it comes to finding a job. Harvard business school alumni know this very well. Your school’s name recognition can open the door to big firms and other companies, and if you did well in school, this is even more important. A 4.0 grade point average from Harvard will have more appeal to an employer than a 3.5 average from a small liberal arts school. Your ability to leverage the connections you made at your school can play a big role in your career path. Here are three big tips that can help you to maximize your chances of getting a better job by relying upon your education.
1.) Network. Networking is extremely important. Harvard alumni are often in high places within companies, and if they can put in a good word for you because you know them, you stand a better chance of being appointed than if you were to not have such a connection. Who you know is so important, and today this is even easier than possible. You can use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to maintain relationships with people from college with quite a bit of ease.
2.) Keep your name relevant. If you are a member of the Harvard Alumni Association, routinely fill out information on yourself and what you are up to for their newsletter. When people that know you read your name, they are more likely to have a favorable image of you. This will be beneficial if you are looking to have these people recommend you for a job or a position. When your former department chairman sends you the department newsletter, carefully read it and fill out any questionnaires that might have been sent with it, too. The more people that you keep in touch with, the better off you will be.
3.) Keep in touch with your favorite professors. Your college professors might already have jobs, but oftentimes they will be approached by firms or corporations and alerted to the fact that certain positions are opening up. Your old professors might know about a major job opportunity before it is even posted on a job site like Monster. If you have these connections and they know what you are looking for, they will be more likely to recommend you for the position. Professors often have the inside track in this regard and might even have sway over the company’s final new hire choice. If this is the case, being friendly with your old professors will definitely be to your advantage in a big way.
Networking and all the components of it are so important and if you want to get the very best job based upon your desires and skills, networking can only help you to find what you are looking for. You probably already have a number of connections with friends and classmates that you made during school, now it is time to maximize these connections and start using them to your advantage.
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