We’ve discussed how vital it is to meet new people, network, and form relationships with individuals in the business world in previous newsletters. However, having to reach out to someone you don’t know and ask them questions might be really awkward. What if they don’t want to be bothered? What if they think that we are just wasting their time?
To solve this issue, a group of students came together and decided to create the Lawrence University Business Networking Club. Every week, they attempt to bring a speaker who is eager to answer any questions from students. “The idea is to have a typical, casual chat with the guests, in which members can ask any questions they want, even if they aren’t immediately linked to the guest’s field of expertise” (Oliver De Croock, Vice-President of the LUBNC). When they are not able to connect with a guest in time for their weekly meeting, they use that time to learn from each other and share information to help each other succeed.
In the past two months, Oliver says “We were able to connect with a diverse spectrum of outstanding people from a variety of businesses. Some of them were so thrilled with the idea that they opted to drive hours to meet with us in person!”
A list of some of their previous guests:
- Kazuma Noguchi, Restructuring Analyst
- Harry Rivas, Consulting
- Colling McCanna, Marketing
- Bethany Larsen, Investment Banking
- Martin Alwin, Analyst
- Jon Anfinrud, Regional Executive – Commercial Banking
“Every single visitor that came was able to add incredible value and insight, providing us with legitimate ideas that we could instantly implement. They also offered to be a referral for anyone who was there if they were interested in an internship or a professional position with the firm for which they worked”. In the future, they intend to bring in even more guests, including people with more experience in other industries, entrepreneurs, as well as people with Human Resources and recruiting experience, to help the students understand more about what recruiters are looking for and to receive tips and advice on how to use platforms like LinkedIn or Handshake to jumpstart their careers and gain a competitive edge over other people.
How to JOIN and EXPECTATIONS
“As students, we all have busy schedules, and there is always something that we need to get done. If you opt to join our club, we will require you to invest one hour every week to actively participate in meetings, ask questions, and push yourself beyond your comfort zone. We already spend too much time in class, so the idea here is to establish a conversation in which anybody can enter at any moment, with any sort of question, even if it is not directly linked to the guest’s field of expertise”.
If you would like to join, please send an email to oliver.decroock@lawrence.edu explaining what industry you are interested in and why (this will help them reach out to guests that could be interesting for you).
Oliver De Croock ’24, Student-Athlete at Lawrence University majoring in Economics and Career Peer Educator. Connect with me on LinkedIn.