Build Your Network

The quickest path to your dream job is connecting with people who are doing the work you want to do.  Education and experience are important, but meeting and knowing people in your field of interest will help you get the job you want.

The Value of a Mentor

What is a mentor, and what can they do?

• Someone who shares advice, provides encouragement, and expands your knowledge of opportunities and resources to help you clarify and pursue your goals and plans.
• Mentors can be faculty, staff, supervisors, other professionals in your field of interest, alumni, coaches, or other community members. 
• Can be an ongoing relationship (often developed through participation in a mentoring program) or a one-time “flash mentoring” connection.

How can mentoring benefit you?

• You gain free insights from someone experienced who has already walked the path. 
• You build your network by developing meaningful relationships.
• You set yourself up for future success.
  • According to studies of more than 30,000 U.S. college graduates, there are six key collegiate experiences that contributed to students’ job optimism and engagement at work.(on the list: Had a mentor who encouraged you to pursue your goals and dreams.) Connect with Mentors

Find Your Network

• There are several ways to build your network, such as through part-time work, an internship, school and professional orhanizations, campus clubs, your professors and more.
• Increase your networking opportunities by creating and completing your Handshake account.
• Create a LinkedIn account for networking and build a strong, professional online presence

Mentorship Networks

See below for campus-based mentoring programs, opportunities, and resources. Click links for further information, including eligibility, deadlines, and benefits:

• CHABSS Career Network: Mentoring program for College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral, and Social Sciences majors and minors.
• CoBA Professional Mentor Program: Mentoring program for College of Business Administration students.
• Cougar Connect: Opportunities for CSUSM students and alumni to participate in flash mentoring, one-time quick connections, or to initiate longer-term mentoring relationships.
• Faculty Mentoring Program (FMP): Mentoring program pairing faculty with student proteges who are first generation and/or economically disadvantaged.
• OTRES (Office for Training, Research and Education in the Sciences): Research mentoring programs for students in the biomedical sciences and related disciplines.
• TRIO McNair Scholars Program: Mentoring program for students with a strong desire to attain a graduate degree who are low-income, first generation or members of a group underrepresented in graduate education.