Networking Opportunities and Resources

Networking is essential in your career development. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that only 20% of all jobs are advertised. This means that 80% of jobs are filled by referral. Networking is the only way to access this hidden job market.

Through the Career Resource Center (CRC) and the School of Management, you have a variety of networking opportunities with local and national employers and alumni. Start by reviewing the list of events and resources below. 

  • How Does Networking Work?
  • Employer Information Sessions
    Companies like to educate their candidates about their recruitment programs and company culture before the interview. Attend the open information sessions, ask questions and meet company representatives. To learn which companies have scheduled on-campus information sessions, check our job opportunities database regularly.
  • Job Fairs and Relevant Events
    Meet recruiters and alumni, and learn about their openings, hiring practices and expectations. Attend our annual Network Buffalo and Network New York events, held November and January, respectively.
  • Finding Alumni using UB's Connect-a-Bull
    Join the university's networking platform, Connect-A-Bull, which allows you to connect with UB alumni interested in supporting you in all aspects of your career development. Filter by industry, location, hobbies, topics, job types, degrees and more.
  • Finding Alumni using LinkedIn
    University at Buffalo alumni are located across the globe. Learn how to do an alumni search using LinkedIn to identify alumni in a specific geographic area.
  • Professional Associations
     Consider joining local and national chapters of a relevant professional association—and actually attend the meetings! Ask a CRC associate director and faculty about appropriate associations.

Important Networking Tips

  • Have questions prepared ahead of time (40 questions to ask in an informational interview)
  • Always be polite, appreciative and respectful
  • Do not monopolize their time
  • If you get voicemail, be brief (10-20 seconds), speak clearly and leave your phone number, but say you will call back on a specific date/time
  • Do your research about their company before you reach out to them
  • Do not ask for a job
  • Meet in person, if possible
  • Use summer, winter and spring breaks to do geographic-specific networking
  • Always send a thank you within a few days
  • Follow-up is your responsibility

In addition to the resources above, we encourage current students to take advantage of the following:

Virtual Networking