Taylor Hartz
What has been your experience networking in DC?
By Taylor Hartz
Fall 2013
Joy, Brittnee, Kelsey, Myself, Shelby, and Sidney (L-R)
From the moment we arrived in D.C., we were taught that in addition to our college degree and internship experiences, real world connections would be essential during the post-grad job hunt. The word “network” appeared on every orientation hand-out and came up in all our discussions, helping us to understand that if we planned to get a handle on networking, this was the place to do it.
Shortly after our arrival, we attended an event hosted by the BU Alumni association to commemorate our most beloved alumni, Martin Luther King Jr., and the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. As our first networking experience, the evening consisted mostly of standing nervously in a crowded room wondering what would be the least awkward way to approach a stranger. Fortunately, after a few successful conversations, I learned that the BU network would be invaluable in this city.
Although I study journalism, and ended up speaking with many alumni who studied business or economics, I realized that simply being educated on the same campus gave us something to break the ice with. As terriers, we already had common ground -ironically, “Common Ground” is an activity most of us participated in during our freshman year orientation to help us get to know fellow students, and now this same ideal was helping me with my post-grad plans.
Whether it be participation in FYSOP, a shared experience of the cramped Warren Towers dorm rooms freshman year, or in some lucky cases a mutual professor, everyone in our program seemed to connect with at least a few alumni.
Throughout the next week I collected almost a dozen business cards, sent countless follow up emails to people I’d spoken to for a few moments here and there, and contacted trusted professors for the email addresses of former students or colleagues who might be in the area and be willing to offer their insight on D.C. life.
I even found myself searching bookstores for an old fashioned address book to keep all my new contacts on hand at all times.
After the first week, I realized that networking is something that takes practice, patience and organization. It may take several introductions before you meet someone who is even remotely connected to your field of interest, but you never know who might know someone that could help advance your career or enhance professional experiences in D.C.
The BU program provides an excellent education in how to network, and truly forces you to perfect the skill. Nearly every week BU alumni come in and meet with our group to let us hear their experience of living and working in D.C. after graduating from BU. Whether or not these alumni are connected to our lines of work, it’s great to be able to ask questions about transitioning to life off of Comm. Ave.
As a photojournalism major, I’m quite used to a being a part of small department within COM. I was pleasantly surprised when BU brought in an alumni who graduated with a degree in Photojournalism and is now employed with the Washington Post. I’ve been able to speak with her not only about her role at the Post, but about what it was like graduating with a Photojournalism degree and trying to find work in the D.C. area. She has been more than willing to meet for lunch, correspond via email, and answer all my questions. Having had all the same professors made at BU made it easier to assess what skills from the BU programs have been most helpful in the professional world.
Luckily for me, D.C. is not only a city that loves politics, but it is one that loves news. This city is buzzing with journalists, and I’ve found myself reporting beside some photographers, writers and broadcasters I’ve admired for years. Having experience with networking has helped me build the courage to approach some of these role models, introduce myself, and make myself recognized amongst some veteran photojournalists on Capitol Hill.
From the Washington Post to the White House, COM alumni are living my dream jobs all over D.C. and knowing we share the “common ground” of a Boston University education has been encouraging, comforting, and inspiring.
