Speed-dating met the career search in the “Ready, Set, Connect!” speed-networking event, attended by students and alumni alike, at the Georgetown Hotel and Conference Center on Monday.

The event, co-sponsored by the Alumni Association and the Patrick Healy Fellows, was designed to give students experience in forming connections with Georgetown alumni.

“Networking is everything in today’s world,” Emily White, event organizer and assistant director of alumni career services, said. “We wanted to give students the chance to hone in their networking skills and give them an understanding of how strong and vibrant the Georgetown alumni community is, and how it’s there for them now and when they graduate.”

The event consisted of two networking sessions. The first was designed like a speed-dating session, as students and alumni lined up facing one another and were given five minutes to talk. At the end of the five minutes a bell was rung and the students moved down the line to talk with the next alum.

“It’s kind of scary,” Colleen Kearns (COL ’11) said of the speed-dating format, “But it’s good in that it forces you to talk to people you might not have thought about. You might learn things you weren’t expecting to.”

Afterward, students were encouraged to network with various alumni who specialized in the students’ particular fields of interest.

“It’s a good opportunity to meet people I can be in contact with over the next few years as I go to medical school and beyond,” Matt Pacana (NHS ’12) said.

The importance of networking was constantly emphasized throughout the conference. According to Bill Reynolds (C ’79), executive director of the alumni association, 75 percent of jobs are obtained through networking.

“Networking is not a dirty word, it’s an integral part of the process,” Reynolds told students.

Alumni at the event agreed.

“In my current career, networking is absolutely critical. It’s all about who you know and how to find value in those relationships,” Gloria Lozano (SFS ’04) said.

Participants also believe that a degree from Georgetown can go a long way in forming valuable networking relationships.

“Whether you’re in Kazakhstan or Kansas, Doha or Dallas, we have alumni from all over the world who [have] an earnest desire to build a bridge with the next generation of Hoyas,” Reynolds said. “We are a community; we are Georgetown.”