How to Network like a Pro
Networking is a crucial part of making connections that help you find opportunities or advance your career, especially when you couldn’t do it all on your own.
If networking sounds intimidating to you, try thinking of it as just chatting with people, making connections, and finding common interests. Networking is all about mutual benefit and helping people out, so don’t shy away from it!
Where To Start
Reach out to your own network first—see who is working in careers or at companies you’re interested in, and ask them about their job. Having a personal connection can really make a difference, and getting a friend or acquaintance to put in a good word for you can give you a leg up when requesting an appointment or interview.
Using LinkedIn to search for people in your career field is another way to meet people you wouldn’t otherwise have connected with. You can also make time to go to meetups or alumni events—the benefit of these events is that people are ready and expecting to help you with your career goals.
You can also try cold emailing people at companies who have jobs you are interested in and see if they'll be open to getting coffee with you. You might be surprised at how willing people are to help you!
Tips & Tricks To Networking
Whenever you’re starting to network and connect with people, remember to be yourself and stay confident in your abilities. You’re there to meet and learn from other people, so be open-minded to new ideas and information.
When reaching out to people, be specific about what you’re asking for. Are you wanting to get coffee and set up a 15-minute informational interview? Asking if the company has open positions? Requesting a job interview? If you make a specific request, the people you reach out to can give you a concrete answer about what they’re willing to offer.
Remember that networking works both ways. Find a way you can be of service—what value can you offer the other person? Would you be able to connect them with someone they’d want to meet? People who feel like they’re benefitting from the relationship will be more likely to help you later on.
And once you make connections, continue reaching out and maintaining that relationship. Networking is an ongoing process, and you never know when people will be able to connect you with someone new that they know!
To further hone your networking skills, book a one-on-one session and get personalized support to advance your career. Together, we’ll work to set goals that help you take that next step.