Notes on Networking

When I started my internship this summer, my attitude toward networking could best be described as: avoid it if at all possible. It wasn’t that I disliked talking to people or sharing my professional interests. I just found the idea of "marketing myself" pretty uncomfortable.

To me, networking felt like finding a way to brag about my abilities while still trying to seem likable. I thought, Can’t I just work hard, get good results, put those on a resume, and let my work speak for itself?

Apparently not.

Throughout the internship, our clinic brought in guest speakers who emphasized just how important networking is in today’s job market. Time and time again, they drove home the point that most people don’t land jobs simply by applying online. Instead, they’re hired because someone in the company knows them, recommends them, or at the very least, has a connection with them.

From the company’s perspective, it makes sense. Hiring a stranger is a risk — not just financially, but culturally and professionally. Having someone vouch for a candidate helps employers minimize uncertainty, reduce turnover, and cut down on the time and cost of training.

So the message was clear: relationships matter. But How Do You Network Authentically?

This is still a work in progress for me. I wouldn’t call myself shy, but I do find myself getting a little tongue-tied when I feel like I’m “supposed” to be networking. That pressure can make even normal conversation feel performative.

What helped shift things for me was gaining real-world experience over the course of the internship. As I started applying my knowledge on actual projects, I felt more confident talking about what I could do, not just what I’d learned.

For example, I earned a Google Analytics certification this summer through Skillshare, and it felt like a tangible way to show that I have practical skills. Saying “I can do this” feels a lot more grounded than “I studied this in class.” Certifications like this, especially in analytics, are quickly becoming stepping stones, not just for job applications, but for networking conversations as well.

Now, I’m thinking more strategically about how to demonstrate my abilities with tools like SQL, Power BI, Tableau, and Excel/Sheets. These platforms are widely used in business, but they’re not always easy to access or practice outside of a professional environment. Finding ways to show competence with them through projects, certifications, or even dashboards I build myself is part of how I’m working to bridge that gap.

Networking still feels a bit awkward sometimes, but I no longer see it as “selling myself.” Instead, I’m trying to approach it as sharing what I know and learning from others. The more I focus on building real skills and framing networking as a conversation rather than a sales pitch, the more natural it feels. Maybe networking doesn’t have to be about being impressive so much as it’s just about being real, being prepared, and being open to connection.