Networking as a First-Generation Student Can Be Hard. Here’s How to Get Started.

Students from underrepresented communities are often given the advice to “network for better opportunities.” However, the unfortunate reality is that white, more privileged groups continue to control access to the majority of jobs and career opportunities, often through hidden rules of engagement and closed networks that are passed down generationally and tied to wealth or social connections. The authors highlight three paradoxes that hold first-generation students back and how to navigate them.

• The gatekeeper paradox: Gaining access to such networks can be difficult because people in positions of power and privilege often “gatekeep” or restrict access into these spaces.
• To navigate this paradox, adopt an asset-based mindset and recognize that all the things that make you different also give you distinct skills and experience. Ask yourself: What are my strengths? How can I turn them into a story that shows I’m the best person for this company and this role?
• The authenticity paradox: It can be extremely challenging to bring your whole self to work when you see few others from a background, an identity, or a community like your own. That can force people to code-switch or adopt behaviors, thoughts, and mannerisms similar to the dominant group to ‘fit.’
• To navigate this paradox,  reach out to just one person on your team, or in your office, for an informal, one-on-one conversation and see if they can be your ally.
• The proximity paradox: When we reach out to people to help us advance in our careers, we tend to look for those who are familiar and similar to us. That means we’re just as likely as anyone else to perpetuate the biases we see around us.
• To navigate this paradox, network at all levels. Connect with people in senior positions, at your level, as well as those who come after you to ensure that you build an expansive network.