Networking: the Importance of Making Connections with an Online MBA
Until recently, knowledge, skills and experience have been the most important elements needed to launch a career. However, trends since the early 2000s seem to have shifted.
Connecting online and offline
In our current climate, where social connections take a center stage, knowledge and experience are no longer enough to be successful. Instead, the quantity and, above all, quality of the connections you make are crucial.
Networking is creating a grid of quality contacts. This doesn’t just involve making new contacts. It’s also crucial to maintain long-term relationships that can be useful in future. Increasingly, social media platforms are proving to be the key to successful networking in the digital era.
Empowered through EU
EU Business School’s Online MBA program is a sure-fire way to accomplish professional success and career growth. Networking opportunities have become the third of the most important reasons to study an MBA, according to this alumni survey.
Having access to the knowledge of working professionals through live sessions, seminars and workshops empowers career movers, job hunters and promotion seekers. New technologies enable them to organize their contacts according to industry, business field, location or interest.
EU Business School reconizes the importance of networking. We have a network of 25,000 alumni all over the world, as well as a closely connected group of faculty members and associates. As part of the EU Online MBA program, students have the chance to attend guest lectures by business owners and professionals from different fields, industrial visits to several companies and social events during on-campus weeks.
A student’s view
Njáll Andersen, Online MBA with a major in Leadership, had this to say about the program:
The campus weeks are an important part of the networking aspect of the EU Online MBA program. Besides the excellent industrial visits that are always interesting, along with informative guest lecturers, meeting fellow students while creating bonds and sowing the seeds of long lasting friendships with like-minded people is especially rewarding.
Students and faculty making connections during on-campus week.
One criticism of online education is the lack of face-to face interaction. EU Business School’s online programs have overcome this barrier. On-campus week activities and daily live webinars with faculty and peers are good ways to form connections. Getting the best of networking in a digital world involves putting social networks to the best possible use. Good strategies include commenting on blog posts, sharing articles, following companies you’re interested in, connecting to people in circles you want to access or becoming part of a LinkedIn group.
Developing strong bonds from afar
Many people are starting to see networking opportunities in online education under a different light. Students of online programs, who use technology every day, can develop strong bonds. This kind of networking can be easier than for campus students. Their prospects for making international connections are limited because they’re location-bound,
If you’re thinking of studying an online MBA and you want to start developing your networking skills, here are our three tips:
- Participate in the webinars and forums
- Bring valuable topics to the discussion table
- Keep in touch with your peers and instructors, even after the program has finished
