Name: Eva Jacobs
Year: Junior
Major: Economics and Psychology
Minor: Business Institutions
CFS Class: Business Field Studies
Employer: Accelerated Growth Advisors

Early in the quarter, we read an article as a class called How to Build Your Network. The subject of networking has never been a particularly comfortable one to me, as I have never thought of myself who is innately skilled at this practice. I’ve never thought that I was particularly bad at making friends, but I found the idea of networking calls and coffee chats kind of awkward- I thought that spending an entire call or informal meeting asking people about work could not lead to a strong connection. The article we read really intrigued me because it went into depth on the subject of networking, detailing how to analyze one’s network and what strategies to use to strengthen a network most effectively.

One topic discussed in the article that I found interesting was the importance of shared activities, especially informal ones, in building a strong network. I noted this going into my internship, and when I was invited to virtual happy hours every week as well as weekly company-wide-forums, I tried to keep in mind that these could be great ways to meet new people and forge better connections. Even though I didn’t feel extremely comfortable attending these events because I didn’t know anyone and was worried the virtual format might be awkward, I tried my best to attend, even if I didn’t end up talking the entire time. Most importantly, this seemed like a great opportunity to avoid the dreaded networking call.

Although I didn’t speak much in happy hours or forums, they allowed me to build a strong understanding of the company culture and of people’s individual personalities so that I felt more comfortable knowing how to speak in meetings, understanding who appreciated it if you cracked a joke, and so on. Even at the end of my internship, I still am not a loud voice in those shared activities, but I do think that they contributed significantly to me feeling comfortable at the firm and building connections.