Most professionals agree, networking is vital to career growth. On Thursday, February 9th, the Professional Science Master’s (PSM) program collaborated with the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) to host a networking event. Our students had the chance to mingle with members of the HBA Central New Jersey chapter over dinner at the Rutgers Conference and Inn.
The HBA is a global non-profit organization with a mission to further the advancement and impact of women in the business of healthcare. The HBA is devoted to supporting women in their leadership capabilities, building their leadership skills, and advocating for them within organizations.
“We do this through professional networking, educational events, and learning from each other,” said Juliet Hart, president of the HBA Central New Jersey Chapter. “Events like these are great. We have the opportunity to be the professionals talking to students, seeing where they are in their careers, what they are thinking about, and how we can help them in their career paths.”
The Professional Science Master’s program strives to help our students grow their professional networks. This begins in our foundational Principles of Communication and Leadership class, where students interview leaders in their fields. We also organize meet-and-greets, invite industry professionals into our classrooms, and provide an alumni-student mentoring program.
The event, which was open to all students, was structured to promote natural conversation and networking. Attendees were given bingo cards with characteristics such as “is a dog person” or “has worked in the healthcare industry for 5-10 years” and found others who matched these traits. Each table had a different conversation topic for attendees to discuss.
“One table talked a lot about how to best set yourself up for that first job and how to get past the computer to get your first interview,” said Stephanie Raspa, an HBA member. “This is a topic that’s really hard for a lot of people. No matter how qualified you are, it’s hard for everyone to get that first foot in the door. I really enjoyed being at that table, hearing people’s stories, and hearing the advice given.”
Although Raspa volunteers with the central NJ chapter most often, she also supports Tomorrow’s Executives, a part of HBA that focuses on programming for young professionals within the first ten years of their work experience.
“One of the things that I love about the HBA,” said Raspa, “and part of the reason why I volunteer for them, is that there are chapters in different parts of the states, and there are subgroups that focus on people with different interests.”
Throughout the night, attendees took notes, connected on LinkedIn, and exchanged email addresses.
“The more I go to these kinds of networking events,” said MBS Biotechnology and Genomics student Bratati Patra, “the more comfortable I get talking to people from different backgrounds. It gives me confidence. Today, I talked to different people from different industries that I’m interested in and connected with them on LinkedIn. They also asked me to reach out to them if I need any help. They know people from those kinds of industries, so I hope it will help me in the future.”
These networking events don’t only benefit current students—they also benefit working professionals. It’s a win-win situation.
“These events are great,” said Hart. “We love them. Professionals come out to talk to students, talk to each other, and build connections. We’ve seen careers grow from here.”
To view all the events we host, visit our website. You can also stay up to date by following us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
