Dear Diary,
Throughout my college experience, I’ve heard from multiple professors and mentors say “grow your network!” or “make sure you’re staying connected with people” or my favorite is “Speak with alumni who have a job you want to have!” I don’t know about you, but hello? I’m in Gen Z...you think I’m actually going to go out of my way and speak to a stranger where there’s a chance I can make a fool of myself? No thank you! But as I’ve been settling more into my junior year, I’ve realized how impactful those little relationships are on your future. One connection can go a long way and can open up doors you wouldn’t have even known were there. I don’t know if this is me “maturing” or me just feeling more comfortable and confident with myself in the business world, but I have found myself taking more opportunities to network and enjoying them!
Onto the real reason you’re here. I wanted to share my top 5 tips everyone should know when it comes to networking. So whether you’re a marketing major, science major, or nothing at all, read on!
1. Choose a Goal:
Before going into a networking event it’s important that you come up with a goal or a plan on how you’re going to spend your time there. This helps eliminate any nerves you may have because you’ll have something to refer back to when talking it up with people. Some examples of goals are to introduce yourself to someone who is standing alone or talk to at least 5 different people. And if you’re feeling confident some goals can be to set up a coffee meeting with someone or ask someone to connect on LinkedIn. No matter how big or small the goal is, you’ll be able to establish and build your profile while gaining knowledge about your business community and what it has to offer.
2. Active Listening:
Yes, it’s important to talk about yourself but sometimes is better to shut up and listen! But really, if you’re quite a talker like myself, it’s important to practice the skill of active listening. Active listening can be one of the most important skills that you can carry on throughout any social interaction. The skill can be mastered by practicing these four tips:
- Focus fully on the speaker: this seems like a given but it’s a great reminder! Focusing on your conversation allows you to gain a better understanding of what is being said and you may learn something new!
- Avoid interrupting: I am so guilty of this and I know this is so many people’s pet peeves. Recently, this has been a big issue for me, so what I’ve been doing to stop it is to keep my mouth closed while the other person is talking or making a note in my head if I have a comment or question on what is being talked about. It’s tricky to remember sometimes, but it’s important to make a habit of these things. Interrupting someone may come off as rude and can limit the full meaning of the message.
- Avoid seeming judgemental: Alright come on, this is a given.
- Show your interest: show that you’re interested! It’s important to use gestures such as nodding and eye contact to show your speaker that you are engaged and care about the conversation.
3. Find out and Follow up:
This one is always a tricky one for me but I don’t think it can hurt! After meeting a potential contact you can make the relationship more concrete by following up with them. You can send them an email, connect with them on LinkedIn, and offer the opportunity to meet them for a quick cup of coffee or mention just how nice it was to meet or see them! It’s important to give them a strong and positive professional impression.
4. Confidence is Key:
I think this is something that can also be obvious for some but it’s hard to find that confidence when speaking to people you may not know and are trying to impress. Like, where’s the line between cocky vs trying to show how great of a person you are? A good tip is to practice your personal elevator pitch! Talk about yourself is hard but it makes it easier when you have a little prepared speech about your background, experiences, and accomplishments. Another good reminder I always tell myself is to have fun with it. People will enjoy your company more when you’re able to enjoy yourself!
5. Take Those Opportunities:
I think by being a part of Gen-z almost Millennial group is that we get labeled as lazy and things are just handed to us! The burden is ours to take control of our future and the easiest way to do this is to take advantage of opportunities! I should point out that if you’re attending a networking event, you shouldn’t go in with the expectation of getting a job offer by the end of it, you should learn from new people about the potential opportunities you may have while that relationship develops. But when those opportunities do come about, it’s necessary to weigh your options and do what’s best for your professional career and yourself. Opportunities come when you least expect it so don’t miss out on networking events or even reaching out to someone you’re already connected with on LinkedIn. You may find yourself in a favorable situation and you won’t be able to know about all the possibilities if you don’t take a chance.
Sweet! Did you get all that? Great, now you’re an expert and never need another 1200 word blog post ever again! But for real, networking is tricky and I wish they had a college course on it, but since they don’t...I hope I gave you some great insight that you’ll learn to incorporate overtime!
Do you have any networking stories you’d like to share with me? Like, comment, and subscribe to my YouTube Channel, I mean blog, for more!
-Madison♡
Comments