Job hunting. It’s stressful, time consuming, and a constant battle to outshine your peers. As a college student anything you can do to make the search easier, you will.
With the rise of technological interface, applications such as Linked-In and Indeed make applying for jobs and finding professional connections available from the comfort of your screen.
Now, current students and Alumni of Monmouth University just got another advantage in the mad-dash to employment by creation of the Hawk Network.
Hawk Network was created by Monmouth University, and according to the university’s website is a, “new digital community for professional networking, mentoring, exploring and posting job opportunities, and connecting with classmates.”
Although other college campuses have alumni networks, many editors have not seen a network offered like this from other universities.
One editor said, “I do not know of other schools that do this but I think it is a great way to help students interact and make connections with alumni.”
One editor learned about these networks at a previous job experience. “I remember sitting in an exit interview with HR where I interned over the winter break and the recruiter discussed with me how some alumni networks in the state are better than others.”
Although Monmouth University’s Career Services office actively helps students with taking their next steps after Monmouth, Hawk Network is, “another layer of connecting with alumni,” said an editor.
An editor explained that networks such as these, will get rid of the “middle man” that Career Services is. “For ambitious students who know a thing or two about networking, it’s a great option,” said the editor.
Compared to Career Services, Hawk Network, “might be more beneficial, because it allows for direct connection and communication with fellow alumni. Nevertheless, I still think career services is a substantial help to students with things like resumes, interviews, internships, jobs etc.,” said another editor.
As another way to make professional connections, Hawk Network has the ability for Monmouth University students to get ahead through utilizing the “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” tactic.
Although fairly new some editors feel that they will use this network to their advantage.
“I will definitely check out the Hawks Network to find and connect with alumni that could give me insight into the future career I desire,” said one editor.
Another editor said, “I think it would be useful for reaching out to former faculty or classmates that you don’t have on networking sites like LinkedIn. The social work school does send a lot of job postings to the general email chain so this might be helpful for streamlining that process.”
Although the Hawk Network is a more current way of finding connections, one editor explained why they feel it is important to utilize every system available at Monmouth when searching for employment.
“I try to use every outlet I can at Monmouth. Whether it is Career Services (Jeff Mass is a great help) or Monmouth’s LinkedIn page, we have a lot at our fingertips. It’s just on us to actually use it,” said the editor.
Because Monmouth University is a tight knit community, there are many stories that circulate campus of alumni using the Monmouth database to connect with students and hire them as employees.
After becoming an established professional, some editors felt that they would enter their information into the database to connect with current students.
“If I were a professional already, I would be using this service. I log into LinkedIn a few times a week to stay updated on what my fellow Hawks are up to, so I can see myself being fairly active on the Hawks Network as well, “said an editor.
Another editor said, “I would definitely try to connect with younger students if I ever had my own business, to give an opportunity to young students searching for a job.”
For another editor Hawk Network may not be their first choice, “I would enter my name into the database, but I don’t think it would be my first choice. With LinkedIn and Career Services already in existence, many Hawks would consider that enough networking,” said the editor.
Another editor explained their usage of the network would depend on the size of the business they were working for, “If I were to be on the network working at a smaller firm, I could serve as a mentor to someone entering the workforce, where I can give advice or write letters of recommendation. Regardless, alumni should be on LinkedIn to offer either or to fellow hawks.”
According to LinkedIn, as of 2019 the application had nearly 660 million users in over 200 countries worldwide. Although this app allows for networking on a broader scale, sometimes smaller can be better.
Only time will tell the benefits of Hawk Network, but it is worth a try for aspiring professional Hawks.
PHOTO COURTESY of Monmouth University