Find Networking Opportunities as a Part-Time MBA Student

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 11/21/2014 - 19:35

Networking and career development are two important parts of the MBA experience. But for part-time students, finding the time to connect with business professionals can be hard to squeeze in.

Take Penni Hurst, for example. Hurst, a mom of three, is an executive MBA student in the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. She goes to school on weekends and runs a medical device consulting firm with her husband. Hurst also works as a department head, instructor and program director at a high school in Georgia.

"You talk about a busy person? That's life right now for me," she says.

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Hurst, who is considering leveraging her executive MBA to work in the customer service industry, sees networking as something she must make time for. "I do have to work at it. Being a mom of three and working full time, I have to really be very intentional about networking," she says. Hurst tries to connect with people online and has in-person, 7 a.m. networking meetings at Starbucks before her work day begins.

The juggling she must do to manage school assignments, family obligations, work and networking is typical for part-time MBA students, who often have jobs while going to school, experts say. "It is a challenge," says Gary Kohut, a professor of management and director of the MBA program at University of North Carolina--Charlotte's Belk College of Business.

While the obvious solution for busy part-time students is to network through social media sites such as LinkedIn, which helps professionals to meet, there are a few other ways for them to connect with other professionals.

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While joining a professional organization or student group can seem like one more thing students will have to make time for, there is a way part-time students can participate in them and expand their network without having to attend dozens of meetings.

Dirk Duran Smith, the assistant director of MBA career management at the Coles College of Business, encourages part-time students to pick one event their student group is hosting and work the registration table. "You'll meet everybody that's coming in there," he says.

At the Belk College of Business, the Graduate Business Association helps MBA candidates interact with peers who are also interested in business, says Kohut.

While MBA students make up the bulk of the membership, students who join might also cross paths with peers from the Master of Accountancy or Master of Science in real estate programs. A group like this may host events that aren't always professionally focused but can serve as a great environment for networking. Recently, for example, the Graduate Business Student Association partnered with the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity to do a home building project, Kohut says.

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If students are really limited in terms of the amount of time they can dedicate for professional groups, Smith encourages them to do what they can to attend the holy grail of networking events for MBAs: the annual National Black MBA Conference. While there are a number of MBA conferences held by several different groups, Smith says this one stands out.

"It is by far the largest recruiting event for MBAs," he says, and it helps students from a variety of races and ethnic backgrounds. To cut down on time they'll have to spend away from work, school or other obligations, he encourages them to attend only one day of the conference's career fair. "It's once a year," he says. "You can dedicate one day." Students can start networking with their classmates as an easy way to expand their reach in the professional world, experts say, but the people guiding classroom discussions and handing out assignments can also be a great start for networking.

"Connect with faculty as well," says Corinne Snell, the assistant dean of student professional development at Temple University's Fox School of Business and Management. Many of them may have worked in the business field, she says. "If you're short on time, there's someone right there in front of you."

Students should try to learn about the backgrounds of their teachers, Snell says, and build a rapport with them. MBA candidates can then ask if faculty members can connect them with more professionals.

"Is there someone you can recommend from your company or from your former employer that might be good for me to talk to?" Snell suggests they ask.

Networking can also happen outside of class at more unexpected places, such as the grocery store, says Smith from Coles. He believes networking can happen anywhere, and students who are short on time should keep that in mind.

"Networking can be in the store, standing in line, waiting to pay for something," he says. "You never know who people are and what they bring to the table."

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Article references
finance.yahoo.com