Hey everyone–Ryan here.  When I graduated in 2010, I didn’t know the first thing about building a network. “Networking” struck fear in my heart (it still-kind-of does).

But, I’ve come to realize how important having a network is to finding a job (and finding a better job when the time is right).  Nearly every job I’ve ever landed has been in part due to the informal network I built along the way.

That said–I’m not an expert.  So, here are some short and very helpful tips about how to build a network from scratch from The Muse (one of our favorite and free career websites).

• How to Build a Professional Network from Scratch

(The post mentions joining your local alumni club.  You can do that in several major cities and in Vermont by going here.)

Summer takes on a whole new meaning after graduation. For most of the working world summer vacation is cut from three glorious months down to just a week or two. And, if you were lucky enough to have had outdoor summer jobs, the transition to spending most of your day indoors can be a rough one.

But starting your first job doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the summer fun. Bike to work, grab ice cream at lunch, hit up an outdoor happy hour – with a little imagination and these tips, you can take back your summer.

• 15 Ways to Celebrate Summer When You’re Trapped in the Office

Having the opposite problem?
If you’re having a hard time enjoying your summer because you’re stressing over finding a job, we have a guide for you too. We especially like 3, 5, 13, 18, 28, 32 and 34.

• 35 Ways to Feel Like You Have Your Shit Together After College

Whatever you’re doing – get outside, soak up some Vitamin D and have fun this summer. You survived the coldest winter in Burlington’s history (well, it felt like it anyway), you deserve it!

Whether you are applying to grad school this fall or just pondering the idea, you’re probably very aware of the rigorous application process. Fortunately, UVM has made requesting an official transcript easy *and free*.

All you have to do is log into your myUVM Portal and click on the registrar tab. On the left, under Academic Records, you’ll see “request your official transcript”.

Once you’re on that page, select the appropriate delivery method.

If you select mail as your delivery method, you’ll get this message. We’ll let you decide if you want to save paper…

Fill out the required fields and you’ll be feeling like a million bucks for completing another step in the grad school application process!

There may be some of you out there hungering for more education. As an alum of UVM, you have two great options right here on-campus (and through this new thing called the internet).

1. Graduate school @ UVM. Tons of interesting programs and options for every career and profession.  And they have a couple of online degrees now.

    

2. Continuing Education @ UVM. They offer lots of short courses and certificates–in a classroom and online–to get some more skills (without committing to years of grad school).

I did grad school at UVM a few years back, so feel free to email me with any questions you might have.

Ryan

Some people slave over their LinkedIn profiles while for others it’s more of an afterthought. Wherever you fall in the spectrum, there’s no denying the role LinkedIn plays in today’s job market.

Potential employers will look you up and you want to make a good impression.

Now is the time to update your profile so that it works to your advantage.

Not sure how to make your profile standout? Use this guide.

Then join the UVM LinkedIn groups to begin networking with fellow alumni.

University of Vermont – This is the public page for the University.

University of Vermont Career Connection – A private group that supports members of the UVM community around issues of career and professional development.

UVM Alumni Association – With more than 12,000 members this group connects UVM alumni and breaks out into geographical subgroups for those looking to network locally.