As many students may know, job application season is in high effect. Participating in CESR’s events is already a great differentiator for starting your sustainable career search, but learning how to network effectively is also key. CESR spoke with several experts on conference networking in order to share advice with students who are planning on attending networking sessions or conferences. CESR has resources dedicated to how to start a sustainable career search. 

Types of Networking Events: Career Fairs vs Conferences

First off, it is important to distinguish between a career fair and a conference. A career fair is an event that brings together recruiters and students who are seeking jobs. An important note here is that the recruiters know that students are there to find jobs; handing out resumes and having quicker conversations is a standard practice. 

On the other hand, conferences are gatherings of professionals, researchers, and students who are all interested in a particular field. As a student at a conference, you don’t want to ask specifically for a job; it is implied by the fact that you are a student and will one day need employment. 

"Conferences should be seen as a launching pad for the longer-term relationships that you need to succeed,"

- says  Amanda Schram, Assistant Director of Graduate Career Management at the Leeds School of Business 

What’s My Goal?

Your goal when attending a conference is to build your network of advocates. These are people who can influence decisions in the organization you want to eventually work in, and who can speak highly of your skills and personality. Instead of looking for transactional relationships, try to connect with people you find interesting. Conferences should be seen as a launching pad for the longer-term relationships that you need to succeed, according to Amanda Schram, Assistant Director of Graduate Career Management at the Leeds School of Business. Make sure you get contact information and send a follow-up message within 48 hours. You could ask to meet again and chat about something specific about their role or your conversation, or even ask them to review your resume if you’re applying to their company. When you follow up, make it as easy as possible for the professional: send calendar invites or a zoom link, and always let them know what times you are available to talk. 

"A great way to prepare is to practice your elevator pitch," 

- says Jessica Baumgarten, a Career Coach at the Leeds School of Business.

Do Your Homework!

There are several things you can do to prepare for a networking event. For one, it's important to do your research. Which companies are attending the conference, and which of those might you be interested in? Are those companies hiring for roles that you are qualified for? You can use the answers to all of these questions to inform the way you interact with other attendees. Jessica Baumgarten, a Career Coach at the Leeds School of Business, suggests that a great way to prepare is to practice your elevator pitch. This is your personal answer to the question “Tell me about yourself”. Although you might already have an answer prepared for a formal interview, you might want to make some tweaks for use in a networking setting. Your response should answer the questions: “Who are you, what are your strengths/passions, and how can you bring that into a professional setting?”. 

From there, it is also helpful to have a list of questions to ask an employer. “How did you end up at your current role?”, “How did you get your foot in the door of your industry?”, and “What advice would you give to your younger self?” are all great basic questions to start with. It’s also important to not ask questions that can be answered with a simple Google search, or a quick scan through their public website. You should also stray away from “What does your day to day look like?” because it is often so different from one day to the next. By doing research on your industry of interest and reading about current events, you can turn those basic questions into more specific and knowledgeable ones. “The 2-Hour Job Search” by Steve Dalton uses the TIARA framework to highlight the five topics you want to cover in your informational interview. It stands for Trends, Insights, Advice, �ƹ���Ƶ, and Assignments. You can learn more about the TIARA framework .  

"Your goal when attending a conference is to build your network of advocates,"

- says Jessica Baumgarten, a Career Coach at the Leeds School of Business.

Cadence of Contact: Set Yourself Apart

Another important idea that came up among several of the professionals we spoke with was one of cadence of contact. Jessica Baumgarten recommends that following up every other month, and sending messages around the holidays are great ways to stay in touch. Make sure you have a touchpoint at least every three months, but you don’t need to ask them for something every time. Smaller check-ins and even sending articles they might be interested in are helpful as well.

is the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at B:CIVIC, and the director of the B:CIVIC Summit. gathers in Denver on November 2 and will bring together an incredible group of over 400 community leaders and CSR and ESG professionals. Jess suggests that conferences are great because they bring a wide variety of people together, and only trying to talking to a certain subgroup closes more doors than you think. She also advises that because active professionals are busy, it's best to streamline your request to just a single one to make it easier for them to help you. 

Conferences and networking sessions can be hard to navigate as a student. You know that networking is important, but we hope that this article will help you start to understand how to go about building your network. Start by doing your homework on companies and industries that interest you, use the TIARA framework to ask the important questions, and remember to follow up with your connections to keep your relationships strong. 

Are you looking for a way to practice the networking skills you’ve just learned? The MBArk2Boulder conference is coming to town on January 3-6, 2024 on CU’s main campus. The event includes over 15 sessions, six field trips, and networking with CEOs and founders from all over the US. If you’re interested in using business for sustainability, this is the event for you.

Starting your career search can feel overwhelming, especially if you are planning on pursuing a career in sustainability. Having reliable resources can help you find confidence as you search for the best opportunity for you as a future business professional. These steps can be essential in helping you get started in your sustainable career search.

Think About What You Want from Your Career
When approaching your career search, the first step is always considering what you want from your career. One of the essential questions to ask yourself in this step is, what impact do I want to have? The issues that you want to work on are unique and staying true to the impact you want to have will help you be more successful in your career. from biodiversity to diversity, equity, and inclusion and how they impact the business world to gain inspiration.

The next essential part of this step is deciding on the type of role and organization that is right for you. An excellent guideline for this is the created by Katie Kross at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Would you rather be in a traditional organization or company – a multinational corporation, investment bank, etc. – or would you rather be a part of an organization that has a sustainability-oriented mission? When it comes to your role, would you rather be in a traditional business role involved in finance, operations, accounting, or marketing, or would you rather be in a role that is solely sustainability-focused? Ultimately, this goes back to the impact that you want to have, what you’re skilled at, and what you want to do every day. Keep in mind that any role can have a big impact, regardless of whether it is a more traditional business role or it has sustainability in the title.

Invest in Sustainability Skills
Learning to be a master user of Excel, understand financial statements, and calculate greenhouse gas emissions will set you up for success. Plus, develop an understanding of reporting frameworks, how various functional areas operate in a business, and how to influence people. Some of these skills can be developed with some intensive investment, and others take a lifetime to perfect. Get to work on these competencies that will make you a valuable part of any sustainability team through classes, independent projects, and workshops.

“You will be amongst the business professionals making positive impacts on our world in no time,"

- says Sena Kavi

Build Your Network
Both CESR and Leeds have countless connections that you can reach out to to broaden your sustainability network. With the help of resources such as LinkedIn and conversations with CESR staff about our network, identify professionals that work in the types of roles and companies that you are interested in. Reaching out to those professionals that you identify for informational interviews is one great way to build your network. Simply having a conversation with someone can result in you finding the job that is the right fit for you. Informational interviews can also help you further determine what you want from your career as well as what you want to avoid. See this page from CU Boulder’s Career Services to prepare for an informational interview, and do not hesitate to reach out to CESR, the Career Development Office, or Graduate Career Management for additional career advising and resources. Don't forget to follow #opendoorclimate to find climate professionals who are colunteering to talk with people interested in getting climate jobs. 

Keep Up with the Trends
Staying updated on the current events of areas such as sustainability, natural products, and clean energy is very important, as it can prepare you for interviews and allow you to further explore what issues you are passionate about. For information related to sustainability, use news outlets like and , and sign up for the for additional news and resources every other week. To dive into the world of natural products, check out the and , the second of which also has a podcast about the business of natural, organic, sustainable and healthy food. For news on clean energy, follow  and and listen to podcasts like and . These newsletters, news outlets, and podcasts are all great starting points for you to keep up with the trends; simply listening to a podcast on your way to class or work can go a long way. Find more LinkedIn pages to follow listed in or

Utilize Sustainability-Focused Job Boards
Any job search is defined by hours spent on various job boards, sifting through hundreds of job postings. Using job boards that are dedicated to posting sustainable jobs will make your job search much easier. Some of the job boards recommended by CESR are, , , , , , , , and . Additionally, CESR’s newsletter always provides a variety of updated job postings; be sure to to be up to date on opportunities catered for you.

Build Skills and Get Inspired with CESR
CESR offers many events every semester, including panels, bootcamps, workshops, and case competitions. These events are opportunities for you to strengthen your skill set and network, and get inspired for your job search. Our events and programs focus on ESG & Sustainability, natural products, and clean energy. Check out our events page to see what’s coming up.

As you continue on your career search, stay true to your goals and aspirations. Remembering the impact that you want to make, along with keeping up with trends, utilizing sustainable job boards, networking, and attending events to strengthen your skills will bring you closer to the career that you are looking for. You will be amongst the business professionals making positive impacts on our world in no time.