Networking and Finding a Job

How to find a mentor, make outreach people remember, use the right job sites and run a simple weekly system that turns contacts into offers.

Start here

Try it: Networking Studio

Start here: relationships open doors

Most good jobs move through people before they move through a posting. Networking is not asking strangers for a job. It is building real relationships with people who do the work you want to do.

Your goal this semester is simple: make contacts, learn from them, and show you are engaged and hungry. The steps below are the ones I give every student, plus a weekly system so you actually do them.

Find a mentor

A mentor shortens your learning curve. People who are good at what they do are often ready to share their knowledge, their skills and even their network. You just have to ask well.

• Pick one specific person. Choose someone who is aspirational: they do the job, or work at the kind of place, you want in five years.
• Do your homework. Know their work, their career path, what they have posted or published, and what their company is doing right now.
• Have a plan. Decide what you want to learn. Be concrete: “how you built a content team” beats “marketing advice.”
• Make a small, clear ask. Ask for one hour a month, and tell them exactly what you want to learn from them.
• Set a schedule. Offer a standing time (for example, the first Tuesday of each month) so they do not have to manage it.
• Be OK with a no. A no is not about you. Thank them, ask if there is someone else they would suggest, and move to the next name on your list.

The Lumpy Envelope approach

A lumpy envelope always gets opened. Something thoughtful, tangible and personal stands out in a pile of generic messages. Your outreach should work the same way: make it impossible to ignore by being specific, prepared and personal.

• Specific: name the exact thing they did that made you reach out (a campaign, a talk, a post) and the exact thing you hope to learn.
• Prepared: show you did the research. Reference their path or their company’s recent work in one sentence.
• Personal: write it yourself, for them only. No copy-paste blasts.
• Tangible when you can: a handwritten thank-you note after a meeting, a printed one-page idea for their brand, or a short custom video. Small and real beats big and generic.

Script: email to a mentor asking for an hour a month

Subject: UT marketing senior: one hour a month to learn from you?

Hi [First name],

I’m [Your name], a senior marketing student at the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College of Business. I’ve followed your work on [specific project, campaign or post], and [one sentence on why it stuck with you].

I want to build a career in [specific area, e.g., brand strategy for consumer products], and your path from [their earlier role] to [current role] is the kind of path I’m working toward.

Would you be open to meeting for one hour a month this spring? I’d like to learn [2 to 3 specific things, e.g., how you plan a campaign budget, how you hire junior marketers]. I’ll bring questions, keep us on time, and work around your calendar. The first Tuesday of each month at [time] could work, or whatever suits you.

If now isn’t a good time, I completely understand. Thank you for considering it.

[Your name] | [LinkedIn URL] | [portfolio URL] | [phone]

Use the AMA: the marketing association built for you

The American Marketing Association (AMA) is the main professional group for marketers. It has chapters on campuses and in cities across the country.

As a student member, you get a head start on the network you will use for your whole career. Join now, while it is cheap and the doors are wide open to students.

Start on campus: UT’s AMA chapter

Haslam has its own collegiate AMA chapter, part of the Marketing and Sales Innovation Alliance. It is open to students from all majors.

The chapter runs skill-building workshops, brings in guest speakers, and connects members to networking and internship opportunities.

To join, fill out the interest form on the UT AMA chapter page. You can upload your resume there to apply right away.

• Collegiate chapters are for AMA Student Members. You pay local dues to the chapter.
• National student dues have changed over the years. Check the current price with the chapter officers before you pay.
• When you graduate, AMA gives collegiate members a free year of professional membership (valued at $199). Add your graduation date to your AMA profile so you get the redemption instructions.

Compete at the International Collegiate Conference

Each spring, AMA hosts the International Collegiate Conference (ICC). Chapters from around the world attend. The 2026 ICC was in Chicago in March. The 2027 ICC is set for April 8 to 10 in New Orleans.

At ICC you compete, attend leadership and career sessions, hear from industry speakers, and meet recruiters and students from other schools.

• In-person competitions include the AMA Case Competition, Marketing Strategy Competition, Digital Marketing Competition, Sales Competition, Perfect Pitch, Design Lab, Marketing Business Simulation, and Undergraduate Research.
• Fall virtual competitions include a Virtual Digital Marketing Competition, a Website Competition, video competitions, and Marketing Week.
• Students can also be recognized as Student Marketer of the Year and apply for AMA Foundation scholarships. See the 2026 winners list for the full set.

Go where you want to work: professional chapters

AMA also has professional chapters in cities across the U.S. These are full of working marketers who hire, mentor, and refer.

Student Members can add a professional chapter. The cost is the local student dues rate set by that chapter, so it varies. Many chapter events are open to non-members too.

Thinking about Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte, or Chicago after graduation? Search for that city’s AMA chapter and look at its events calendar. Go to one event before you start applying there. You will walk into interviews already knowing people.

What AMA offers you

What AMA offers	Why it matters for you	Where to start (link)
Collegiate chapter at UT	Leadership roles, workshops, speakers, and internship leads close to home	UT AMA chapter page
International Collegiate Conference	Real case work, national competitions, and recruiters in one place	ICC page
Professional chapters	Meet marketers in the city where you want to land	Ask your chapter officers, then search for the city’s AMA chapter
Marketing Job Board	Search marketing jobs and set job alerts	jobs.ama.org
PCM certification	A credential to aim for once you have a few years of experience	PCM in Marketing Management
Free year after graduation	Keep your AMA network as you start your first job	Graduate offer

Certifications and the job board

AMA offers the Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) in Marketing Management. There are no formal requirements to sit for it. AMA recommends a bachelor’s degree plus about four years of marketing experience, so treat it as a goal for your early career, not your senior year. Members pay less for the exam.

The AMA Marketing Job Board lets you search openings and set job alerts. Many listings are senior roles. Use the search filters to find entry-level jobs, and use the senior listings to see the skills employers want down the road.

How to get the most out of AMA

• Run for an officer role. Leading a committee or an event gives you a real story for interviews.
• Enter a competition. A case or digital marketing competition is client-style work you can talk about and show.
• Put AMA projects in your portfolio. Add the brief, your role, and the result for each one.
• Volunteer at a professional chapter event. Check-in tables and event teams put you face to face with working marketers.
• Follow up on LinkedIn within 48 hours. Mention the event and one thing you talked about.
• Go to ICC if you can. Ask your chapter about travel and team spots early.
• Claim your free year after graduation. Update your AMA profile with your graduation date and a personal email.

Reach out to the HR and people teams

Pick 10 to 15 organizations you would love to work for. Then make a contact on their HR, recruiting or people team before a job is posted. Recruiters remember students who reach out early, know the company, and show they are engaged and hungry.

• Find the campus or early-career recruiter on LinkedIn (search the company name plus “recruiter” or “talent acquisition”).
• Check whether the company recruits through Handshake. If it does, you can message its recruiters there.
• Ask about their entry-level and internship timing, not for a job on the spot.
• Follow the company page, engage with its posts, and note it in your tracker.

Script: email or message to HR

Subject: UT marketing senior interested in [Company]’s marketing team

Hi [First name],

I’m [Your name], a senior marketing major at the University of Tennessee graduating in [month, year]. I’ve been following [Company]’s [specific campaign, product launch or post], and I’d love to start my career on a team that [specific thing you admire].

Could you share when [Company] usually recruits for entry-level marketing roles or internships, and the best way to be considered? I’ve attached my resume, and my portfolio is at [URL].

Thank you for your time. I’d be glad to stay in touch.

[Your name] | [LinkedIn URL] | [phone]

Script: LinkedIn connection note

Keep it short (about 200 characters). Always add a note. Never send a blank request to someone you want to learn from.

Hi [Name], I’m a UT marketing senior. Your [specific post/campaign] on [topic] was useful to me, especially [one detail]. I’d love to connect and learn from your work in [field].

After they accept, wait a few days, engage with something they post, then send your longer ask (mentor hour or a 20-minute informational chat).

Where to look for jobs

Site	Best for	Tip
Handshake (UT’s official job board)	Internships, entry-level jobs, career fairs, employers recruiting from UT	Log in with your NetID. Set job alerts and message recruiters. Alumni keep access at app.joinhandshake.com.
LinkedIn Jobs	Marketing roles of every size, plus seeing who works there	For every job you save, find one person on that team to connect with.
Indeed	Broad volume, local and regional companies	Use saved searches with specific titles (“marketing coordinator,” “social media specialist”).
Company career pages	Your 10 to 15 target employers	Check them weekly. Some roles post there first.
Community job channels	Niche roles (content, social, creative)	Communities like Superpath share jobs with members. See the next section.
Haslam career resources	Coaching, resume and interview guides, job fairs	Book career coaching through MyUTK, then Vol Connect. The Business Communication Studio in 245 Haslam reviews resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles.

Join a community

Online communities let you learn from working marketers every day, not just at events. I’m part of one myself: the RISE community, a Discord group for marketers run through Mark Schaefer’s site. Lurk first, then add value: answer questions, share what you are learning, ask good questions.

Community	Who it’s for	How to join
RISE (Discord)	Marketers exploring the future of marketing: chats, debates, webinars, meet-ups	Request an invitation on the page. First month free, then a monthly fee, which is waived for members facing financial need.
Superpath (Slack)	People who work in content marketing	Read the guidelines and apply. Applications are reviewed a few times a week.
UT AMA	UT students interested in marketing	Ask your marketing professors or look for UT AMA at campus involvement fairs.
AMA chapter in your target city	Working marketers in that city	Find it on the AMA chapters page and attend as a guest.

Engage in your niche, don’t just talk about it

Saying “I’m passionate about sports marketing” is easy. Showing it is what gets you hired. Pick your niche and do something in it every week.

• Create: write a short LinkedIn post breaking down a campaign in your niche. One a week is plenty.
• Comment: leave thoughtful comments on posts by people in your field. Add an idea, not “Great post!”
• Attend: go to one webinar, chapter meeting or meetup a month.
• Volunteer: run social for a nonprofit or a campus group. It is real experience with real results.
• Build small projects: a spec campaign for a brand you love, a content audit, a mini case study. Put it in your portfolio.

Internships, including after graduation

• Start early. Many companies recruit for summer internships in the fall. Set Handshake and LinkedIn alerts now.
• Use your network first. Tell your mentor, your AMA contacts and your target recruiters exactly what kind of internship you want.
• Earn credit: through BUAD 492, Haslam students can earn elective credit for an active internship (1 credit hour per 50 hours worked). Ask the Haslam internship coordinator.
• Get help with housing: Haslam offers an Internship Housing Scholarship for undergraduate business students. Check the Haslam careers page for details.
• Graduated without a job? A post-grad internship is a smart move, not a step back. Search “post-graduate marketing internship” and “associate program” roles, and keep using Handshake as an alum.
• Treat it like a 10-week interview. Ask for feedback, take on extra work, and connect with people outside your team before you leave.

Your weekly job-search system

Consistency beats intensity. Block about five hours a week and follow the same rhythm.

Day	Task	Weekly target
Monday	Check Handshake, LinkedIn and target company pages. Save roles to your tracker.	5 to 10 roles saved
Tuesday	Apply. Tailor your resume and cover letter to each posting.	3 to 5 quality applications
Wednesday	Outreach: connection notes, recruiter emails, mentor follow-ups.	5 new contacts
Thursday	Engage in your niche: comment, post or work on a portfolio project.	1 post, 5 comments
Friday	Follow up on anything 7 to 10 days old. Update your tracker.	Tracker current

Template: simple job-search tracker

Copy this into a spreadsheet. One row per opportunity or contact.

Company	Role or contact	Source	Date applied / contacted	Next step	Follow-up date	Status
[Company]	[Marketing Coordinator]	[Handshake]	[10/14]	[Email recruiter]	[10/24]	[Applied]
[Company]	[Name, Brand Manager]	[AMA event]	[10/16]	[Send thank-you note]	[10/17]	[Met]

Follow up without being pushy

Follow-up script: Hi [Name], I wanted to follow up on my note from [date] about [role or mentor request]. I’m still very interested, and since then I [one new thing: finished a project, attended an event]. If it’s helpful, I’m happy to send anything else. Thanks again for your time.

• Thank people within 24 hours of any meeting or chat. A handwritten note is your lumpy envelope.
• Wait 7 to 10 business days before following up on an application or unanswered email.
• Follow up twice, then let it rest. If there is no reply after two polite notes, move on and check back in a few months.
• Add value each time. Share an article, a congrats on their news, or an update on how you used their advice.
• Close the loop. When you land a job, tell everyone who helped you. It keeps the relationship alive.

Networking and job-search checklist

• [ ] Choose one aspirational mentor and research their work and path
• [ ] Send a specific, prepared, personal mentor request (one hour a month)
• [ ] Log in to Handshake and set at least three job alerts
• [ ] Join UT AMA and find the AMA chapter in your target city
• [ ] List 10 to 15 target employers and find one HR or recruiting contact at each
• [ ] Join one online marketing community and introduce yourself
• [ ] Do one visible thing in your niche every week (post, project, volunteer)
• [ ] Build your tracker and update it every Friday
• [ ] Send a thank-you within 24 hours of every conversation
• [ ] Book a Haslam career coaching appointment or a Business Communication Studio review
• [ ] Make sure your LinkedIn and personal brand are ready before you reach out

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