The Power of Networking

Jake Moore makes an impression on Gordon Gekko

I recently met a Bates alum who told me that each of the three jobs she has held since graduation she ultimately got through networking. All summer long at my internship, I have been witnessing the power and, frankly, the necessity of networking.

So what is networking? If you’d asked me at the beginning of the summer, I would have said it’s about meeting people, telling them a little about yourself, and maybe exchanging contact information. Now I know better.

I’ve learned that it is not enough to simply give your name and title. You better have something ready to say when you meet someone new, even if you don’t actually get the chance to say it. If you can, you should make that chance available for yourself. I learned this lesson the hard way this summer when a representative from a midwestern start-up competition came up to me and a couple friends. We were all interns, so we were on a level playing field in terms of the attention our position demanded, but one of my friends completely swept that attention away. He started talking about his thesis and how it was related to his interests and to make a long story short, they exchanged business cards and (more importantly) a good conversation. My other friend and I sat there watching this happen right in front of us. After my networking-savvy friend had grabbed her attention, the woman from the midwest completely ignored us and did not give us her business card.

You might think that that woman was being rude. Maybe she was, but I have watched so many heads turn away the moment I mention I’m an intern that I know it’s time to look past the manners and step up my own game. As Shia LeBeouf’s character seems to be doing above, it is your job as someone trying to get attention to make an impression. Yes, you will meet people whom you really have nothing to say to, but in most situations, you can have a good conversation. You just have to start it.

Here are some tips to making a great first impression:

1. Don’t hesitate: People are busy. You want to grab their attention as quickly as possible, or they might move on. Talk to people you come across, even if your interests don’t seem to match. Maybe you are a pre-med student and you meet someone from the fashion industry. If you ignore them, you may never find out that all that person’s family-members are doctors and could potentially set you up with a great internship.

2. Know yourself: This may seem silly, but it is important to know what your current job is, exactly what you do at it, why you took it, and how you’re going to use it so well that you can start a conversation about it at any time. People aren’t always going to know everything about what you do, but they like to see that you’re on a path.

3. Have your contact info ready: If you have a business card, great. Otherwise, be prepared so you’re not tripping over which phone number or email address to give. And, make sure that email address is something professional and not too long. (I thankfully retired my princesspeanut284@yahoo.com account a long time ago!)

4. Ask questions: You want to talk about yourself, but you also want to express why you’re interested in talking to this particular person. Think about it – would you enjoy talking to someone who just wanted to talk about how great they are? Plus, at this stage, people know you’re young and probably a student, so there’s no need to pretend you know everything.

5. Be clear and confident: Sit or stand up straight, and mask any nervousness you might feel. If you act comfortable, then the person you’re talking to will feel at ease, too. Speak slowly enough to be clear and relax into the conversation.

6. Know when the conversation is over: Hopefully this is once you’ve had a good chat, but if it’s sooner, don’t push it. The last thing you want to do is turn a non-impression into a bad impression by badgering the other person to pay attention to you. On the other hand, if you are having a good conversation, let it play out until it seems like it’s ending naturally. A great way to end is by exchanging contact information. This shows that you enjoyed the conversation, need to go, but would love to stay in touch. If you really did have a good conversation, you can even add the person on Linkedin, which is a popular professional social network.

Hope you enjoyed this post! Check back soon for my post on how to plan your college road trip.