Networking Tips for Students and Young Professionals

There are many networking opportunities available in the Greater Boston Area, but for university students and young professionals, the real challenge is overcoming the barriers that can get in the way.

Networking - building relationships and exchanging information with others in your field - is essential for young people looking to discover job opportunities, gain career insights, and grow both personally and professionally.

Students and young professionals often face a few common obstacles when it comes to networking: confidence, time, strategy, and a sense of value. Some may feel intimidated or fear rejection, which can make it difficult to put themselves out there. Others find networking too time-consuming, especially when juggling school or work, though platforms like LinkedIn and other social media can offer quicker, more accessible ways to connect. A lack of strategy is another challenge - without a clear idea of who to meet or what to talk about, networking can feel aimless. Finally, many worry they don’t have enough to offer, making it hard to see how they can bring value to a professional relationship.

In this blog, we’ll dive into practical networking tips tailored for students and young professionals—whether you’re still in school or navigating the early stages of your career after graduation. From building confidence to making meaningful connections, we’ll explore ways to grow your network and make the most of the opportunities around you.

6 Ways to Build Your Network in Boston’s Startup Scene

1. Join School Clubs

While balancing classes, consider participating in a student club at your university. Many clubs are focused on professional development. STEM majors can join science and engineering clubs to collaborate with seasoned professionals and peers on projects that solve real-world problems. Business majors can network with speakers and other students at monthly business club meetings. Humanities majors can connect with like-minded individuals at clubs focused on art, journalism, and politics.

Hot Tip: Your involvement in clubs, especially those you founded or led, will look impressive on your resume.

2. Sign up for LinkedIn

Have you opened your LinkedIn account yet? LinkedIn is an excellent platform to connect with professionals and fellow students. It is super easy to connect with your classmates and professors. All you have to do is scan another user’s QR code from their account and send them a connection request. You can search for their name too and connect with them there. Whatever works! 

Check It Out: If you are looking for another connection, then I would be happy to connect with you here.

3. Go to Professional Events

Are you daring enough to go to where the big players play? Sign up for events that interest you, whether that event covers your industry of interest or covers a topic that interests you. These events can either be online or in-person. Events can be free or cost some money. I recommend joining free, in-person events to get the chance to ask questions and meet people when you are speaking to them. Don’t forget to connect with the people you meet on LinkedIn.

Hot Tip: Perhaps professional events are too intimidating, but do not worry. Many universities have student mixers where students from all over Greater Boston can go visit another university to meet with their students. Those student-mixers are more chill and attended by other students.

4. Volunteer for Organizations

Professional organizations offer great opportunities to meet other professionals in your industry. These organizations are more demanding than school clubs because they require a commitment of your time and skills.

Take the time to research the organization and speak to the leadership team to determine if the organization is a good fit for you. Great professional organizations that can be a good fit would allow you to network with founders, investors, technologists, entrepreneurs, and other working professionals.

5. Connect on LinkedIn

Read articles or watch videos from professionals and organizations that align with your career ambitions and personal interests. Then, connect with those people on LinkedIn, but take it a step further. Request an informational interview with those people or someone in that organization for 15 minutes to ask them questions about their career or occupation. 

Informational interviews are a great way to quickly meet someone you have been following on LinkedIn. If you do get the chance for an informational interview, then the professional you have interviewed now can add a friendly face to their network.

6. Add Value to Professionals and for the Event

When you were a student, going to events just to meet people is enough to call it a success. Now, you must add value to the event. 

For example, I am a content writer for Startup Boston. I add value to events by promoting the organizer and the event itself by writing about my top takeaways in articles that are published on the Startup Boston blog. It may take time to determine how or for whom you add value. Consider how you can help the company you are employed by or the organization you volunteer with from what you have learned from the event. 

Why Networking Matters (And a Little Encouragement to Get Started)

Students and young professionals should be blessed to be able to live, learn, and work in Boston. I have found in personal experience there are many networking events and organizations hosted by universities, organizations, and corporations. You got to know where to look, so come check out Startup Boston’s monthly event calendar to see where you can find your next online or in-person event.

Networking has been a challenge for me, and likely for other students and young professionals. Yet, networking has been very rewarding as it opened my eyes to new career possibilities and got me to the next opportunities.  

Learning to network is a skill. Like many other skills you learned in the past, you will come away with some setbacks. Do not be discouraged when pushing yourself to be better. Thousands of people have felt or experienced the same challenges you are facing when networking. The good news is that it did not destroy them and they were able to reap the benefits of building their professional network. 

About the author: Nicholas Ewing is a graduate of UMass Lowell in Business Administration: International Business. His hobbies include writing stories and going for walks in nature. You can connect with him here.