FAMILY AFFAIR

As you are networking don't forget to utilize the network of your family to assist you in opening doors and gaining opportunities that will assist you throughout life. I am including in this blog a link where my son Connor talks about how his network assisted him in securing his current position with Abernathy & MacGregor. Upon his arrival at JU his father through a mutual connection introduced Connor to Vice President for Student Affairs Kristie Gover who mentored Connor throughout his undergraduate and graduate experience. His preparation to get to D.C. involved a number of connections that his father had but then Connor took the initiative to follow-up. It started with a summer internship with Steve Dust and the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance. That led to his father connecting him to a former Mizzou connection, Enterprise VP Jack Talley about an internship in Jacksonville. I was helping to coordinate an ELCA conference while at Wartburg College and approached President Tim Cost at Jacksonville University to serve as our keynote speaker. In preparing for his remarks we met in advance of the conference and I took Connor along for his first introduction to the President.

That single 20 minute introduction turned out to be so very important to Connor gaining further internship opportunities, being introduced to
the Public Policy Institute and deciding to pursue his masters degree at Jacksonville University. That introduction provided him opportunities to gain experience through internships with Congressman John Rutherford, US Senator Marco Rubio's Office and an internship with the Fiorentino Group. Throughout his graduate experience Connor served as a Graduate Assistantship for Student Life and the River House which provided invaluable experience.

Then when it came time for him to decide if Washington D.C. was the place to continue his career he connected with former U.S. Senator Ed Pease from Indiana who his dad worked for at one time when Ed served at VP for Advancement at Indiana State University. He reached out to a family friend from Mizzou Jann Carl, Co-Host of the syndicated show Small Town Big Deal whose daughter Katherine works in D.C. as well. Ultimately President Cost helped Connor secure an interview with Abernathy & MacGregor that has led to full-time employment.

I share this only to show the many connections that make up an experience and that opening a door doesn't get you the internship or the job.
Connor had to interview well, present his talent in order to take advantage of the opportunities that were presented to him. I have introduced many people to others and they didn't do the follow-up to turn that connection into their own, cultivate the relationship beyond just an introduction.

Authors Note: This is also a young man who used to complain, "why do you have to talk to so many people, can't we just go".

Here is a link to an interview I had a chance to conduct with Connor recently that speaks to many of the connections I have outlined.
https://vimeo.com/405700376?utm_source=email&utm_medium=vimeo-cliptranscode-201504&utm_campaign=28749