With thousands upon thousands of college students graduating each semester, its become a dog-eat-dog world and sometimes, simply bringing home a diploma is no longer enough. Any opportunity to get a leg up on the competition is an invaluable tool to bring a student one step closer to getting the job they’ve worked so hard to earn.
Yet few students have the networking capabilities at their disposal to actually get in and speak with professionals in their field prior to graduation. Without a foot in the door, it can be nearly impossible to get a job with a coveted firm or land a position with an elite company.
So what good are our degrees if they simply match thousands of other such pieces of paper floating across the country?
Behind every diploma is a face, a marketable employee to be discovered and hired. The only problem is, few companies are willing to take the time to uncover the graduate behind the degree.
For many students, the only way to show themselves to potential employers and get their name on the agenda is by joining an organization with networking services. Luckily for students at Sam Houston State, the Student Alumni Association was formed for just this purpose.
By bringing current students together with members of the SHSU Alumni Association, the SAA provides networking opportunities that exist nowhere else on campus. A roomful of former Bearkats with working degrees is like a pot of gold for a college student, possibly riddled with debt and almost definitely looking for a job.
Graduation and the inevitable job search may be years away, but if students don’t begin making connections with potential employers now, the work will only be that much harder down the road.
Make sure your degree doesn’t just blend in with the rest, but instead put a face to the name on your diploma. Join an organization, such as SAA, with ties to the thousands of SHSU alumni spread out across the nation and ensure that you stand out as a shining recruit instead of just another resume in the file.