Being Online is Not Enough & More Advice from Gen Y

Posted on 04/23/10 in Blog, 6 Comments

Hannah DeMilta, my college roommate and friend, is a Millennial I know well who is outgoing enough to reach out to new people, especially online. She meets new people weekly, if not daily. We may not all be as outgoing as Hannah, but there are a few lessons she has taught me that Gen Y can benefit from in their quest to reach out to new people and build their network.

Use current situations and circumstances to reach out to someone.

Hannah loves to travel. She was studying abroad in Europe and working on a project about social media related to Edniborough Festival Fringe. She used this as an “excuse” to reach out to several different people involved in Edinborough’s travel and tourism industry and popular people on social media in Edniborough. Not everyone Hannah reached out to initially became a strong connection in Hannah’s network, but someone she met by asking for help on her project became a friend who she met in Edniborough, met up with again in Austin six months later and continues to have a relationships with. She used a current life situation (needing research for her school project) to connect with new people first online and then in person. Which brings me to another lesson Hannah taught me…

Many networking connections are weak and that’s okay.

Spend time developing relationships with the people who matter, but it’s okay to have to have plethora of weaker relationships. A person with a strong network like Hannah, is someone who has tons of weak connections (friends of friends, thousands of followers online, etc.), but they also have many strong relationships proportionate to their number of weak connections.

Hannah’s advice for Generation Y on the job hunt?

Gen Y is told, “you can find a job on Twitter.” So students build a profile, start following a few people and then get frustrated when nothing happens. Being online is not enough. You have to be willing to put in the time, interact with people and help others.

Have questions for Hannah? Leave them in the comments below or find her on Twitter.

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About the Author

Gina Bericchia is a student of life and social media. She is a writer and Generation Y blogger. She graduates from Otterbein College in June 2010 with degrees in Public Relations and English.

Visit Gina Bericchia's Website
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    Social comments and analytics for this post…

    This post was mentioned on Twitter by heatherhuhman: Being Online is Not Enough & More Advice from Gen Y http://bit.ly/cFUjXD #GenY #networking…

  • http://twitter.com/BeckyLoya Becky Loya

    How do you maintain relationships with these weak connections, and if they are weak are they really worth having? I know that it is very important not to burn bridges in this industry, but sometimes I feel inundated with everything and everyone online, and I want to limit myself to what really matters.

  • hannahdemilta

    @Becky – In my opinion they are worth keeping because you don't want to miss an opportunity. You never know what doors might open for you. Someone who you don't know as well could refer you to your future employer or someone else in their network who ends up providing value. Don't stress about being in the front of every person's mind, but rather being on their radar. I use my social networks to accomplish this. Just be genuine and it will show through.

  • http://whitness07.wordpress.com Whitney Gonzalez

    By having many weak connections in your network, you are able to access many people's resources. If you have a distant friend who has a distant friend that can offer you a job, it is worth while to keep that relationship. At times, it can be overwhelming to keep up with the hundreds, if not thousands, of people you connect with on social networking sites, but it is pretty simple to make relationships online. It doesn't take extensive conversations and long walks on the beach but simply a “hello, good morning.” or a “retweet” along with a comment on their tweet. Our generation tends to do smart work instead of hard work so by being involved in social media, you can become acquainted with PR pros from the comfort of you desk chair or even from you mobile phone while you ride the bus downtown. We should all strive to have an attitude similar to Hannah's because you never know what you can learn, acquire, etc. Don't miss any opportunity!

  • http://whitness07.wordpress.com Whitney Gonzalez

    By having many weak connections in your network, you are able to access many people's resources. If you have a distant friend who has a distant friend that can offer you a job, it is worth while to keep that relationship. At times, it can be overwhelming to keep up with the hundreds, if not thousands, of people you connect with on social networking sites, but it is pretty simple to make relationships online. It doesn't take extensive conversations and long walks on the beach but simply a “hello, good morning.” or a “retweet” along with a comment on their tweet. Our generation tends to do smart work instead of hard work so by being involved in social media, you can become acquainted with PR pros from the comfort of you desk chair or even from you mobile phone while you ride the bus downtown. We should all strive to have an attitude similar to Hannah's because you never know what you can learn, acquire, etc. Don't miss any opportunity!

  • http://whitness07.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/my-blog-comments/ My Blog Comments « An Everyday "Whitness" of Public Relations

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