As I enter the fifth and final year of my PhD, I am beginning to look at job postings, update my CV and resume, and really consider the next steps after my PhD. It is an exciting time, though admittedly, also a bit nerve-wracking. I recently met with a career counselor to go over my CV and resume and discuss how to read a job posting. It was in that meeting that I realized…I haven’t really applied for a “real” job before, so I don’t really know how to do this…

The number one piece of advice given at professional development workshops is to “build your network.” So often, people get jobs because someone in their network referred them for the position or informed them about the job posting. At a workshop I recently attended, I even heard that 70% of jobs are filled through networking – and some sources estimate that this figure could be as high as 85%!¹ The saying goes, “It’s all about who you know.”

However, I think this common saying misses a critical aspect of networking: It’s not just about who you know. It’s also about who knows you – and who will bring your name up in a room you’re not in.

Having 500+ connections on LinkedIn does not hold the same weight as having a handful of people who keep you top of mind when new opportunities become available.

You don’t just want to know people – you want people to know you, vouch for you, and recognize your value.

I am fortunate to have really benefitted from the people in my network.

About a month ago, I received an email from the Office of the Board of Trustees inviting me to present my research in a three-minute thesis presentation to the Board at their upcoming meeting. There was one graduate student selected from each school, so I felt very honored to serve as the representative for the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Truth be told, though, I didn’t know how I had received the invitation. Prior to this, I had never been invited to do anything by people I didn’t personally know or been selected for an opportunity without having to apply.

I later learned that my mentor from my Writing Internship, Elaine, had nominated me for this opportunity, which truly highlighted the value of building strong professional relationships.

Elaine and I have a really great working relationship. Even though my internship ended in December 2025, we have continued meeting nearly weekly since then. She has witnessed my professional development throughout graduate school, from my first year through all the highs and lows. She helped me with my first-ever seminar presentation of graduate school, provided training in developing my thesis proposal and F31 grant application, and took me on as an intern. She knows my strengths, she knows my character, and she knows my career goals.

So, when the Vice President of Research asked whether she had any students in mind for this opportunity, she mentioned my name – a perfect example of the power of having people in your network who truly know you and are willing to advocate for you in rooms you are not (yet!) in.

Another important aspect of networking that often gets overlooked in the phrase, “It’s all about who you know!” is that it is also about using who you know. You can know tens, hundreds, maybe thousands of people, but if they don’t know what you are interested in or that you are open to new opportunities, they might not have you at the top of their minds when an opportunity arises.

Elaine knows that I have a strong interest in science communication, and she also knows that it can be a somewhat difficult niche to find your way into. She knows that I love presenting my research and that I love writing – she’s seen a lot of my work, so she also knows what I am capable of!

Sometimes people may feel afraid to share their goals with others because they worry that if they are not able to achieve those goals, then other people will “know” that they failed. But that’s not really how it works, even if it can feel that way sometimes.

When we don’t achieve a goal, it can certainly feel like failure. In the near future I’ll be sharing a blog post on how rejection truly is just redirection – I had a “great” experience that illustrated this earlier this summer 😆(I say “great” because it certainly did not feel great at the time). I have also fallen short of many other goals throughout my life, but that doesn’t make me a failure. With every attempt we make, we learn new things about ourselves or about the process, which allows us to approach the next opportunity with new knowledge and experience. I call that a win!

All that to say – to successfully utilize your network, you do need to share your goals with others. You don’t need to share your goals with every person, but you should share them with the people in your network who might be able to connect you with new opportunities.

So, in an attempt to put what I preach into practice, I am here to proudly say that I am in the market for a job!!!!

Not immediately. But, soon! …Hopefully around May 2027, give or take a couple months! My boss is on board with this plan. I’m just waiting to receive some good news that I can share with my thesis committee, and then I will set up my final meeting to ask for permission to write my dissertation and set a defense date!

I have shared my career goals with a couple of colleagues, friends, and family members, and because of that, I have already started receiving emails, messages, or LinkedIn posts sharing job opportunities aligned with my interests. Some of these people would probably share these opportunities with me regardless because they are just the kind of people to do that – but I’m sure that sharing my interests with them has also played a role!

My network has taken me to places I never would have dreamed of! These opportunities include serving as Course Assistant and then Course Manager at the Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Hazards and Opportunities (ECHO) course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in beautiful Woods Hole, MA; being invited to join a panel session on science communication at the upcoming 2027 Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting; and giving a career talk to one of my former professors’ undergraduate public health class. And so much more! I can’t wait to see where else I go and who else I get to meet along the way.

I’ve been attending a bi-weekly “career bootcamp” workshop and working on some fellowship/job applications over the last couple of weeks, so networking has been at the forefront of my mind. I hope that this blog post encourages you to make a new connection or reach out to someone whose career you’d like to learn more about!

Remember: the worst thing someone else can say is “No.” And – more often than not – they will be happy to meet with you and help you along your journey!

Sources:
¹ https://www.aeecenter.org/aee-news/the-importance-of-networking/