Relationship building is at the core of the NYU SPS career wellness model. In an effort to encourage students to build strong professional networks, the NYU SPS Wasserman Center hosts the annual NYU SPS Networking Night, providing students with a direct connection to industry professionals with various career paths representative of SPS academic programs. By engaging with industry professionals who are leaders in their fields, students have the opportunity to practice their professional pitch and gain industry knowledge as well as insights on the current job market, all of which give them a better understanding of themselves and what their target industries and sectors are seeking in talent.
The week prior to Networking Night, students participate in a preparatory webinar, during which they are encouraged to use the event not as a one time opportunity to “land any job,” but as an opportunity to develop quality relationships that will benefit them both personally and professionally throughout their careers. As a career center that embraces a development model that promotes career wellness, it is important for students to know that their career development does not end once they land their first job after graduation. With today’s rising employee projected to spend a total of 60-70 years in the workforce, students must continue to draw from the relationship building skills they learned while at NYU SPS as they navigate the many pivots and changes they will inevitably make throughout their entire careers.
NYU SPS has a rich network of employers and industry professionals who have shown great interest in getting to know current students: the New York Jets, the United Nations, Moody’s Investor Services, Willis Towers Watson, Turner Broadcasting System, China Telecom Americas, and many more employers both domestic and abroad. Many of the industry participants who attended Networking Night have since expressed interested in hiring NYU SPS students for internships and job opportunities.
Year after year, the NYU SPS Networking Night continues to highlight for students the importance of relationship building at all stages of career development and equips them with the skills to open doors of opportunity in their careers.