Networking
Follow the tips below and you'll be well on your way to building your network.
FIRST STEPS
- Create a list of faculty, professional contacts, friends, or alumni you can rely on for introductions, recommendations, and support.
- Develop a list of possible networking opportunities that align with your career interests. Example: Attend the American Educational Research Association Conference.
- Conduct an Informational Interviews
- Utilize your Internship experience and network with people you meet there!
- Join Professional Organizations: see link above and list below for ideas of Professional Organizations
RESOURCES FOR CONNECTING
- Linktank.com
- Shapr App
- Washington Network Group: lists all Professional Organizations in the Greater Washington region.
TIPS:
Write down the key points you want to make in the conversation, as well as questions you have. Writing it as a script may help you stay on point and stick to your non-negotiables.
A contact may not have a job opening, but they can offer introductions to others in person and through LinkedIn. Always leave every meeting with the name of a new contact.
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO JOIN BY FIELD
Counseling
- American Counseling Association
- American Association of State Counseling Boards (AASCB)
- American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
- National Career Development Association (NCDA)
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT)
- The National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE)
- For a list of associations in specific practice areas please click here.
Special Education
- The National Association of Special Education Teachers
- The Council for Exceptional Children
- The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps (TASH)
- National Organization on Disability
- National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
- The Arc
- The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
- IDEA.gov
Higher Education
- American Council of Education (ACE)
- American College Personnel Association (ACPA)
- Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
- Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)
- National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA)
- View a list of associations in specific practice areas >
Human and Organizational Learning
- Academy of Human Resources Development (AHRD)
- Association for Talent Development ATD) (formerly ASTD)
- International Leadership Association
- International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI)
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
- Association for Career and Technical Education
- American Technical Education Association
Education
- American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)
- American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
- Association of Teacher Educators (ATE)
- National Education Association (NEA)
- Subject Specific
- American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language
- Shape America
- International Reading Association (IRA)
- National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
- National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
- National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
- Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
- Child-Centered Organizations
Educational Leadership
- American Association of School Administrators (AASA)
- American Educational Research Association (AERA)
- American Education Studies Association (AESA)
- Association for Education Communications and Technology (AECT)
- Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA)
- Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)
- Center for Education Policy
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
- Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
- Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES)
- International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
- National Association for Foreign Student Affairs (NAFSA)
- National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)
- National School Boards Association (NSBA)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)