When I was considering my summer plans in early 2021, I knew I had to land a great internship as a college student. I debated whether to reach out to the one person I knew who had the most connections. Ultimately, I knew she would help me land the summer internship I needed. So, I asked my mom for help.
My mother has always been my inspiration as a successful businesswoman. She has held many positions in C-suite and executive roles, oftentimes being the only woman with a seat at the table. She is now an entrepreneur and business owner with connections in many industries.
I knew she would have someone I could connect with to find a job related to my field of study: public health. But once I landed the job, I experienced impostor syndrome.
Using my mom’s connections helped me
Before I turned to my mother for help, I was plagued with whether I should ask for it. Did it take away from my own success by asking her? Was I earning what I had worked hard for, or just benefiting from her hard work?
Once I was able to get past the mental hurdle and ask for help, my job search quickly began to fall into place.
In my initial application, I listed my mother as a reference, as she worked very closely with the company. I didn’t reference our relationship during the interview process or during work. I only brought it up when it was relevant to the conversation, but for the most part, people knew I was there for the same reasons as anyone else: to learn, to contribute, and to gain relevant experience for my intended career.
Even though the connection was made for me, the interview, conversations, and chance to position myself for a summer internship were all on me. I landed my first professional job, which led to a second internship the following summer with a different team at the same company. After those two internships, I scored a full-time role after graduation.
I struggled with impostor syndrome
At first, I struggled with impostor syndrome, thinking I had landed the job only because of my connections. I worried I hadn’t actually earned the positions I was given, especially that first internship.
However, my mom repeatedly reminds me that she only made the introduction; the rest was my own doing.
My career trajectory would look very different if I didn’t have that initial introduction. I feel that I utilized all of the resources available to me, but that doesn’t take away from the accomplishment.
Using your network is an important step in searching for job opportunities
More recently, I have used connections to explore different ways to use a law degree. I had just finished my first year of law school and was panicking over whether I truly wanted to be a practicing attorney.
By speaking to some of my mom’s contacts who had gone to law school and gone into different fields, I saw all the different ways that I could apply my law degree beyond being a practicing attorney.
I still use connections from family and friends wherever possible. The job market is hard, and I think everyone should use their network from family, neighbors, and even professors as a tool to get their foot in the door.
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