Library Spotlight: Posts

Professional Networking Resources for UofGH Students

Want to sharpen your professional networking skills? We've got just the resources for you! Explore our recommended library and online tools to help you connect and thrive.

Recommended Books:

Here are a list of books available through both the University of Guelph and Humber libraries. If you need assistance signing in to either institution see the "Library Accounts" page. 

Strengthen Your LinkedIn Profile : The Ideal Tool for Networking and Job Searching by 50MINUTES

Ready to take your career to the next level? Find out everything you need to know about optimising your LinkedIn profile with this practical guide.

Knock 'em Dead Social Networking by Martin Yate

Learn how to integrate social networking into every aspect of your job search and then leverage your social media presence for ongoing professional success. Build professionally relevant networks and a desirable, flexible brand that evolves with your growing experience, while you build and nurture networks that help you navigate a long worklife, and gain greater control over your destiny.

From Classroom to Career by Shirley Morrison

An authentic, engaging, and practical guide to help college grads thrive personally and professionally. 

Professional Networking by Dwayne Hicks; Char Light

Networking is an old, perhaps ancient way of improving your life and career. One of the best ways to find continual success is to form a web of friends and colleagues that you can rely on when the need arises. It is important to remember that this type of networking is a two-way street, and this guide also addresses ways readers can reach out to and help their contacts.

The Networking Playbook by Darryl L. Howes

Is your career headed where it needs to go? Don't sit back and wait for things to happen! Design your career and deliver your life! People networking must be an essential element of any professional and personal development program. Your success proceeds from building valuable relationships that advance your life project and supercharge the achievement of your goals. This book will give you the confidence to succeed and the tools, frameworks, and expert tips to deliver on your career objectives.

Great Networking : The Art and Practice of Building Authentic Professional Relationships by Alisa Grafton

ISBN: 9781911671961

Great Networking is full of candid, personal accounts of the ups and downs faced on the journey to become good at professional relationships, with real-life lessons from those who have developed mastery in connecting with others.

HBR Guide to Smarter Networking (HBR Guide Series) by Harvard Business Review 

Make the connections that will help you succeed--and advance faster. Networking doesn't stop once you've landed the job. Building a high-quality, diverse network is key to learning and growth, influencing others, and launching your ideas. But how do you move beyond small talk and cold emails to building a network that is strategic and effective, made up of authentic relationships? The HBR Guide to Smarter Networking will give you the tools you need to connect confidently, get your initiatives off the ground, and move up in your career. 

The Introvert's Edge to Networking: a Step-By-Step Process to Creating Authentic Connections by Matthew Owen Pollard

One of the biggest myths that plagues the business world today is that our ability to network depends on having the "gift-of-gab." You don't have to be outgoing to be successful at networking. You don't have to become a relentless self-promoter. In fact, you don't have to act like an extrovert at all. The truth is that when introverts are armed with a plan that lets them be their authentic selves, they make the best networkers.

Recommended Videos from LinkedIn Learning:

Through Humber you have access to LinkedIn Learning, a database which contains video-based courses taught by industry experts on a wide range of subject areas. Below you will find links to recommended courses and videos. Please note this subscription is managed by Humber, not the Library. Contact 8888 for help.

• Professional Networking: In this course you will learn networking strategies that you can personalize to play to your strengths and connect with people you actually like. 
• How to Network When You Don't Like Networking: Don’t like networking? You’re not alone. In this course, adapted from the podcast How to Be Awesome at Your Job, bestselling author and global speaker Devora Zack explains why you don’t need to work the room to build great connections. 
• Professional Networking for Career Starters: Connect to opportunity. Learn how to build and engage a network when you're just starting out in your career. 
• Digital Networking Strategies: Cultivating a professional network online is a key component of career advancement and landing new job opportunities. In this course, career coach Christopher Taylor covers why networking is valuable and shares ways to connect with decision-makers in any industry.
• Pep Talk Before You Attend a Networking Event:  As you keep a few key elements in mind and master a few useful tricks, you can learn to build strong relationships and move through a networking event with grace and confidence.
• Find a Job in the Hidden Job Market: 80% of jobs are not posted on job boards or company websites. These positions are filled in the hidden job market. In this course, you can learn how to access these unadvertised jobs by targeting your search, changing how and where you network, and taking action to supercharge your job hunt. 
• Updating your professional pitch: Learn how to create a professional pitch that tells the story of who you are and where you're headed.

Recommended Online Resources:

Below you will find some additional free online resources.

• UofGH Career Services: UofGH Career Services provides tips and strategies for job search, networking skills, grad school applications and more. 
• UofGH Career Resources Library Guide: This Career Resource Guide provides a starting point for career planning and the job search. There are free resources and library subscription databases included here. 
• UofGH & Ten Thousand Coffees: Ten Thousand Coffees is a networking and mentoring platform. It matches alumni, students and the UofGH community with networking opportunities that suit their career goals.
• Humber Career Resources: Tools for writing resumes & cover letters, developing interview skills, and conducting a job search.
• Information Interviews: An informal meeting to gather information and advice. An effective tool for job preparation and networking.
• Career Clips - How to Network Effectively as a Student:  Networking can take place anytime, anywhere. Find out who you can connect with and why networking is an important skill to have!