Faculty and IUS alumni have said college students believe they needed high grade point averages in order to get a job after graduation. However, after entering the job market, they said they quickly realized who they know could be just as important. They have also said it is good for students to have a well-rounded education and good networking skills.

Whitney Myers, IUS alumnus, received a degree in marketing. She is now a media assistant at Creative Alliance. She said at her current job she works with Long John Silver’s by placing media orders and helping with television commercials.
While in college, she said she maintained a high GPA and networked, both of which helped her to get her current job.

Trey Lewis, director of the Career Development Center, said he could not stress enough the importance of networking when looking for a job.

“Networking is just as critical as grades, if not more,” Lewis said.

Lewis said having a high academic standing shows that students know how to retain the information for the classroom, while networking gives students an opportunity to show they know how to use everything they are learning within the classroom and apply it to real-life situations.

“You need to get social and pipe into a professional sandbox,” Lewis said

Lewis said it is important for students to learn who to talk to in order to make professional connections, and that LinkedIn is helpful in this regard.
He also said another great resource for students is the Career Development Center’s website, www.ius.edu/career. The website has tutorials and webinars to help students set up their own professional LinkedIn account. He said the center also offers to take a professional picture for each student’s LinkedIn account.

“The people you already have access to can keep an eye out on possible job opportunities for you,” Lewis said.

Myers said she was never good at networking because she was nervous to talk to people she did not know, but she said in her case, networking helped her get the job. She also said family friends or co-workers can be helpful in finding a job.

“You never know what is going to come out of networking,” Myers said.

Donna Ulrich, business academic adviser, said working with others is a great way to network and show reliability. She also said grades are important because they get students an advanced degree, get them into their job field and can help them to get into companies. Networking , she said, will get students interviews for jobs. When it comes down to two people, the employer could look at each person’s grades, and the person with the better grades will most likely get the job.

“It is like a seesaw,” Ulrich said. “Grades carry more weight.”

Ulrich said good academics will help students land jobs at the beginning of their careers, but after students work in their fields and gain experience, networking will become more important. No matter what you do while you’re a student, Ulrich said, you always have a chance to network.

“Grades will frequently open doors for opportunities,” Ulrich said.