On Tuesday, April 13th, the Niblock Student Center held the last Lunch & Learn event of the Spring 2021 semester! This event was all about Networking like a Pro: How to Build Professional Relationships.
This Lunch & Learn featured two speakers:
● Chris Johnson: Chris serves as a Strategic HR Leadership Partner and Leadership Team member at Equitable. Chris received his B.A. in Business Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ, and his Executive Masters in HR Leadership from Rutgers University. Chris spent 20+ years working for MetLife, including its spin-off Brighthouse Financial, which is what ultimately brought Chris and his family to the Charlotte area. In addition, Chris spent two years working with CompuCom, a division of Office Depot, as a member of the HR Leadership Group providing strategic HR support to the President of the division.
● Dave Broaddus: Dave is a sophomore at UNC Charlotte double majoring in Business Analytics and Computer Science. He has been involved in the Business Learning Community, the Business Honors Program, and serves as an RA in Levine Hall. He is interning at Wells Fargo this summer and was recently accepted to the Management Leadership for Tomorrow Program.
Throughout this informative event, our speakers informed the audience about why networking is essential. Some key takeaways from this event are that while networking is integral in the job search, it is also important to continue expanding your network even when you currently have an opportunity. Along with this, it is crucial to keep up with your network and make it a “give-take” relationship. This can be completed by regularly catching up with those in your network to gain an understanding of their work. Broaddus gave a variety of insights on his experience networking as a student for internships, and how it is integral to continuously put your name out there, this is critical when it comes to marketing yourself and building your brand.
Also, this event focused on the importance of mentorship. Johnson states that it is important for individuals to have mentors, but also serve as a mentor themselves. The key to this is being proactive and understanding how to get the most out of your mentorship by creating an agenda for each meeting.
Thank you so much to our speakers for being a part of this event, we learned so much from your experiences!
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