Wharton professors, clubs encourage networking

If you need another reason to say “hi” to the kid sitting next to you in Finance 101, remember — he could get you a job one day.

As competition for most job positions increases, personal recommendations and networking continue to be an important part of the job hunt, according to assistant Wharton professor Matthew Bidwell, who studies employment patterns.

Resumes reveal too little about the applicant and interviews can be unreliable, he said.

He added that personal “connections provide much more detailed information [and are a] way for people to stand out from the crowd.”

A recent study involving Wharton MBA graduates showed that around half of those surveyed used personal connections to obtain their second job after graduation.

“Most people get jobs through social connections,” assistant Wharton professor Jonah Berger wrote in an email. Berger partially credits his current position at Wharton to an acquaintance.

“Without knowing [a current faculty member,] I might be teaching somewhere else today,” he wrote.

Acquaintances generally make the most valuable networks, Bidwell said, adding that few people get jobs through their best friends.

Bidwell added that Wharton students “come to build a network.” The smart networker takes advantage of many different methods, including social media, job profiles on LinkedIn and the network that Wharton itself cultivates.

The environment and culture at Wharton are conducive to building such relationships that can translate into job opportunities following graduation, Bidwell said.

Specific clubs within Wharton, such as Wharton Women, are geared toward building networks that will give members an upper hand in the job market.

“The mission of Wharton Women is to facilitate the personal and career development of females in business by building a network of exceptional undergraduates, professionals and faculty,” Wharton Women president and Wharton senior Gloria Herbert wrote in an email.

“If we have helped enhance an undergraduate student’s network by the time she graduates, then we have achieved our goal with respect to that particular member,” she added.

Wharton sophomore Emily Foong joined Wharton Women to meet others who shared her love of business as well as to form networks in the business community.

Foong, a corporate liaison for the club, found that Wharton Women helped her pursue different “avenues that perhaps I wouldn’t have been able to use if I had not been in the club.”

The Wharton Women Business Conference held each February invites members to network with high level executives from companies such as Victoria Secret and the Campbell Soup Company.

All Wharton Women members are offered “ample networking opportunities,” Wharton sophomore and corporate liasion for the club Natalie Riemer said.

“We believe that the network of our peers will be one of the strongest we have as we progress with our careers and future endeavors,” Herbert wrote in an email.

“I have definitely gained [a] personal network,” Foong added. “I know that the friends I made in Wharton Women will definitely stay with me” after graduation.

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