How to Make Professional Friends
80% of jobs or internships are found by making connections with professionals and alumni. The more professional friends you have in your network, the better your chances of finding the right opportunity.
Often, hearing the words “connections” and “networking” can easily make your heart beat faster and your palms start to sweat. 😰 😱
It’s Okay. Take a DEEP breath.
Think of “connections” or people in your “professional network” to be more like friends. Friends tend to help friends when they are in need.
The more professional friends you make, the wider your network becomes which can lead to more jobs, internships and opportunities.
- An Adviser - someone who has done what you want to do.
- An Advice Giver - someone that is in a different field than you.
- A Connector - someone who knows people who have done it before.
- An Expert - someone who you trust who will give you honest feedback.
- A Backup - someone who you might need in the future.
- An Alum - someone who was a former student at the University at Buffalo.
We know that you have a lot of questions about your future career path, you are not alone. UB alumni have been in the same situation and they know how you feel.
Fun Fact: Connecting to UB alumni is one of the easiest and quickest ways to build your connections.
Friend-making
Find UB alumni, hopefully leading to your next big step.
Meet professional friends in the Connect-a-Bull Community
Find people to talk to—filter by industry, location, hobbies, topics, job types, degrees and more! Or get curated connections for you by going to the matching quiz!
Once you have a good LinkedIn profile, you can use LinkedIn to find and connect with 170,000+ UB students and alumni by searching for them by keyword, where they work (company), and what they studied. Join the University at Buffalo Alumni Association LinkedIn group (even though you are still a student) to find and message alumni to set up an informational interview. You can also join industry/major focused UB LinkedIn groups to message and/or connect with UB alumni. Find an alum you want to connect with and send a connection request with a note about wanting to have a conversation about your career path.
You can find UB alumni and current students in any major by going to your Bullseye powered by Handshake profile and click on Discover students like you across the Handshake network. You can message them directly through Handshake or look them up on LinkedIn and send a connection request.
Inside look
See what company culture fits your style-- leadership or career-wise.
Get an exclusive look at innovative companies that recruit UB students. You’ll see what it’s like to work in top companies, learn about the latest trends from recruiters and UB alumni, and find out if living in these dynamic cities is right for you.
Not sure how to get the conversation started?
See how to introduce yourself and our list of conversation starter topics and questions for when doing an informational interview.
Learn New Career Skills at Upcoming Skillshops
Get professional advice for writing your resume, interviewing, finding a job and so much more at our popular “skillshops.”
Want a customized skillshop for your club, group or class, or have an idea for one, book a career workshop.