Primary Task Response: The important part of networking is building relationships. Those relationships can lead to career advice and opportunities. There are many ways to network online and offline.

Networking has changed with the rise of social media and the ability to connect online. LinkedIn is the largest professional networking organization in the world. Top companies and recruiters use this site to find candidates for positions, and current professionals join organizations and display their skills through dynamic pages. Individuals can network with one another, conduct research on companies they are interested in working for, and apply for jobs. You can even join groups, such as the Colorado Technical University Students, Alumni, and Faculty networking group, to build your network.

Begin by exploring in-person and online ways in which you can network:

• In-person methods (e.g., conferences, career fairs, volunteering, or anyone you meet throughout your daily routine)
• Online methods (e.g., LinkedIn, Webinars, Facebook groups, Meetup, and so on)

Share your experience on the Discussion Board: Write a reflection of your research and/or experiences networking. Address the following topics:

• Identify at least 1 online method and 1 in-person method for networking.
• Discuss the advantages of each of the approaches to networking that you identified above.
• Discuss how you plan to use networking to improve your own career development or career goals, and provide examples of how you plan to use your online and in-person networking methods.

Response to Other Students: Respond to at least 2 of your fellow classmates with at least a 100-word reply about their Primary Task Response. To help you with your discussion, please consider the following questions:

• What did you learn from your classmate’s posting?
• What additional questions do you have after reading the posting?
• What clarification do you need regarding the posting?
• What other types of networking opportunities would you suggest to your classmate?