Networking. Networking. Networking.

Hattie Hynes is a Recruiting/HR Marketing Intern with Milliner & Associates. She will graduate from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 2019.

As a business student, this work has been nailed into my head about 1,000 times.

“In order to get a good job, you have to network!”

“It’s super competitive out there, you need to get connections!”

Most of my friends have non-business majors and I’m often asked by them what the deal with business students and networking is—-“It’s like your solution to everything. Are you hungry? Go out and network.” (This is a real quote).

It became a recurring joke. “Hey business student, are you networking?”

Prompted by the relentless heckling I got from my friends, I set out to find answers. Why do business people focus so much on networking, and why do business schools hammer it into our heads? According to a survey by The Adler Group, it turns out that about 85% of all jobs come from networking. Which is pretty crazy stuff considering that most students have a network that consists of whoever their parents know. Nevertheless, networking is important especially for jobs that are focused on soft skills, like most business positions. Soft skills are difficult to quantify and hard to show on a resume and during an interview. That’s probably why business schools focus on networking so much: we’re an industry where soft skills are necessary.

Through my internship with Milliner & Associates, I’ve had a lot of networking experience. Our Vice President of Operations, Nicole Bieker, places a serious focus on networking with her interns throughout the internship program. She believes that her interns should have the freedom to go other places and experience corporate cultures that are different from ours.

Bieker even created business cards for me! I feel so professional handing my card out and it gives me the boost of confidence that I need when I’m talking to strangers. Having my own card and being given the opportunity to network on behalf of the company makes me feel like I’m a real part of the team. I’ve had the opportunity to meet amazing people outside of Milliner & Associates and make great connections because of my internship. I’d suggest to anyone running an internship program that they should consider adding a networking component to their program!