Networking is an essential part of building wealth.
— Armstrong Williams105
For many of you, networking will play a significant role in your career. Whether used for business, the gathering of industry information, or a job search among other purposes, it is important that you have a firm understanding of what professional networking is and how it works.
Due to its importance, we will discuss the basic concepts of networking as a professional along with its use during your job search as a recent college graduate. Understanding these basic concepts and putting them into practice will pay dividends for your entire career.
Networking for a job can be difficult for recent college graduates because they do not have an established professional network to tap into. What advice do you have for graduates regarding networking for a job?
Ask your inner circle of older adult family/friends where they network, can you go with them? Do research, join associations. Every city and town has a Chamber of Commerce, most have Young Professional Associations . . . attend! If you tell the Chamber you are a recent grad, they typically let you go for free!
Ellen Steverson, NCRW, GCDF, CEIC
Use both social media and personal contact to develop a network. I often have graduates say they do not know anyone they can ask for help in their job search. Then we make a list of their friends, parents’ friends, and relatives, and I ask what each one does for a living and where they work. It is not long before we have 3 to 5 people who work in the field the student wants to enter.
Using the self-introduction, the student contacts the people working in the field and asks if they could provide some job search advice. From this base of contacts, the student will be able to build a vibrant network fairly quickly.
I also recommend using LinkedIn to search for alumni who work in the graduate’s field. In their request to connect, I suggest using their self-introduction, identifying themselves as a fellow alumnus, and requesting advice on their job search.
Lorraine Beaman, MA, CEIC, ACRW, CARW, NCRW, MCD
Let’s define what networking means now that you are entering the professional world. Here is a good working definition:
Professional networking is developing and maintaining reciprocal relationships with other professionals that over time could result in career or business opportunities. The power of your network is measured by the number and quality of relevant relationships you have.106
Let’s examine some of the important words and concepts in this definition:
Developing—Professional networks are not granted to you, they are built.
Maintaining—Once a professional connection or relationship is created, it must be nurtured. There must be some appropriate level of interaction.
Reciprocal relationships—Networking is a two-way street. The foundational concept of networking is to give or help. Each person in the relationship gives with the understanding that they can receive when the time is right. “Those who give . . . get.”107
Measured by the number—To be useful or powerful, a network must be populated with enough contacts for your purposes.
Quality of relevant relationships—Your network must have the right kinds of connections. When your network has enough quality, relevant relationships, it becomes truly powerful when properly used.
BusinessDictionary.com defines networking this way:
Creating a group of acquaintances and associates and keeping it active through regular communication for mutual benefit. Networking is based on the question “How can I help?” and not with “What can I get?”108
The most important concept in this definition is offering to help. As we proceed, we will examine and discuss steps you can take that fulfill these definitions and make you a skilled professional networker. Being skilled adds depth and quality to your network. You will be “going about it” in the right way. This will, in turn, shorten your job search. It will also make you a resource that others will turn to over the course of your career.
Why Networking Is So Effective in a Job Search
There are several reasons why networking is an effective way to find your first job:
1. It taps into the “Hidden Job Market.” By definition, the Hidden Job Market is a term used to describe jobs that are not advertised. It is estimated that sixty to eighty percent of all jobs are not advertised or posted online.
2. It decreases the time it takes to land your first job. Networking is a proactive job search tactic. People you know or can be introduced to are more likely to speak or meet with you personally. And, the more communications you have, the closer you get to a job lead and a job offer.
3. It reduces competition. Job postings tend to draw a pile of resumes. Networking makes you a candidate of a much smaller pool.
4. It introduces you through a common connection. People interact primarily with people they know and like.109 As your network begins to expand, so will your opportunities as you meet more and more people.
5. It helps you practice for interviews and builds self-confidence. Networking creates phone conversations, lunch dates, and interviews. These are opportunities to practice your interview skills. This will boost your self-confidence, awareness that your job search is moving forward, and feelings of success as you improve overall, leading to better interviews. Having confidence translates into better communications, which creates more interviews, eventually leading to job opportunities.110
Embrace a Networking Mentality
To successfully network for a job (or in the real world), it is imperative that you embrace several attitudes to make your efforts effective:
Being Sincere—skilled professional networkers show genuine interest in relationships and communication with others. That means taking the time to have meaningful engagements properly gauged by the depth of the relationships. As a recent college graduate, this means being open, honest, and humble in all of your networking communications.
Being Helpful—This goes straight to the heart of proper professional networking. Offer to help. This may be difficult as a recent graduate. What do you have to offer? Likely not very much on the professional level. The key, however, is the offering. You never know when you might be able to do something of value for your networking contact. Give others what they need and they will try to return the favor (Persuasion principle of reciprocity). Always be on the lookout to provide value to others whenever you can, with the expectation of receiving nothing in return. Rewards will come as the level of trust and rapport grows over time. You’ll also learn what is of interest to your connections. If you discover an item (an article, referral, or business lead, among many others) that you feel very confident would have substantial value to your connection, pass it along to them.
Staying Present—As you network, be present in the moment. Whether interacting faceto-face, by telephone, or online, give your undivided attention to your contact.
Listening—The best networkers do one thing very well: They listen. They quiet themselves, are present in the moment, and listen to learn. The more you listen and ask questions, the more rapport you build. This creates or adds to the value of the relationship. By actively listening, you will often learn what others need so you can help them later.
Having a Positive Attitude—Always approach your networking with a positive attitude. People enjoy being around those who are positive and have an optimistic view of life. Your connections will want to engage with you and look forward to doing so. Nobody wants to talk to a “sad sack.”
Having Patience and Playing for the Long Term—Approach your job search networking as an investment that will grow in value over time. Done correctly, it can pay dividends for the life of your career.
Following up—Following up after an engagement is critical to the development of the relationship. Timely and professional follow-up will differentiate you from others and elevate your status in the mind of your contact.111 For the purposes of your job search as a recent college graduate, proper follow up could be nothing more than a well-written thank you note after a conversation or communication.
When you embrace these attitudes as you network for a job, you’ll approach every step and every networking communication with the right frame of mind. You will develop more quality relevant relationships faster that will last longer, potentially for your entire career. Good networking shortens job searches.
Conceptually there are two job search networks: personal and professional. Your personal network includes family, friends, college classmates, and neighbors. It also includes doctors, your dentist, and your parents’ financial advisor, accountant, members of church, synagogue, mosque (faith based organizations), civic, or philanthropic groups. Everyone you interact with in your personal life is also included here. Websites in your personal network include Facebook and Twitter, among others.
Your professional network is likely very small or non-existent. However, it will grow as a result of your job search and eventually consist of people who are work colleagues, connections at other companies, former bosses, senior management, association contacts, and so on. The leading online site for professional networks is LinkedIn.
To fully grasp the scope and reach of networking for a job, understand that each one of your contacts connects you to their network. And any member of that network could know about an available job opening. Conceptually, think of it this way: Let’s say you have solid relationships with twenty people in either your personal or professional network. Now let’s say they each know twenty people. That’s four hundred people you can get to know reasonably quickly without much effort.
As your career progresses, twenty connections will be a very low number. It’s possible that your network, especially on the professional side, could be in the hundreds-plus range. You do the math on how large your extended network could be—chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Who to Network with as a Recent College Graduate
Networking for a job as a recent college graduate involves connecting with people you know and then the people they know to lead you to a job. This could include the people your parents know. It also includes reaching out professionally to those you don’t know for the same purpose.112 It generally involves three types of contacts:
1. Those people who can lead you to others who can assist you in your job search.
2. Those people who can introduce you to someone who can hire you.
3. Those people with the authority to hire you.
Job search networking can take place in a wide variety of situations including faceto-face, online through professional networking sites (LinkedIn), social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter), professional associations, alumni events, and even a dinner gathering with friends.
In a job search context, networking increases your “find-ability.” It is estimated that for professionals engaged in their careers that between 60 and 80 percent of all jobs are found by networking.113 Furthermore, surveys indicate that job seekers who are referred to a hiring executive have a one in seven chance of landing a job offer compared to one in one hundred if they apply online.114 Getting referred to a job is a function of networking.
This next concept is very important and goes straight to the heart of professionally networking for a job: It’s not how many people you know, but rather how many people know you. Ponder that for a moment to understand the concept. As a recent college graduate, how many people can you get introduced to and get to know well enough that they would refer you to someone else or possibly go out of their way to help you, even if it’s in a small measure? This is your challenge and this is the kind of relationship-networking that drives a job search.
Unfortunately, many recent college graduates hesitate to take full advantage of networking because they’re intimidated or are afraid of being viewed as a “pushy upstart,” annoying, or self-serving. Put those feelings aside. Networking is not annoying to others or about arrogant self-promotion. Instead, it’s about building relationships. When you think about networking as building relationships—or creating professional friendships—many of your fears will disappear.115
Accept this next statement as gospel truth: Whether your networking is formal or informal, online or offline, there are people out there who want to help. It’s your job to get out there and let them!
Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain. — Emerson116
Networking and the Use of LinkedIn
LinkedIn conducted a six-month study of senior level professionals (Vice President titles and above) and their use of LinkedIn during their job search. The results clearly indicated that these senior level professionals knew “the value of building and nurturing professional relationships in order to be successful in their job search”117 (networking). The study found that “80 percent were sending connection requests, 50 percent were participating in groups, 40 percent were engaging on LinkedIn via shares, likes, and comments.”118 The take-away for you as a recent college graduate is if senior-level professionals see the value of networking to find a job, the same line of thinking can apply to you as a new college graduate.
Here are some strategies and notes to keep in mind:
1. Use good judgment when connecting or extending invitations. Determine whether a potential connection could be helpful or a center of influence for you. Connect with those who are in your field of interest.
Extend invitations to HR talent acquisition professionals in your field of interest or companies of interest and those in a management position who could potentially hire you.
If you extend an invitation that is not accepted, it’s okay. Do not to take it personally.
2. Join Groups. There are over two million LinkedIn groups.119 Statistically, there are groups that will be in your field of interest—join them.
Once you are in a group, it is easier to connect and get introduced to people of interest to you. Whenever possible, customize your invitation for a better response and success rate.
3. Follow target companies. Look up the company page for any company you are interested in. Click the “Follow Company” tab. All activity from that company’s page, including possible job postings, will appear on your LinkedIn home page. This is a great feature to track the company’s activities and potential hiring needs.
★ Spreading the Word—Networking for a Job as a Recent College Graduate
Identifying Contacts
Now that you have a basic understanding about networking, it is time to use the knowledge for practical use in your job search.
The first step in networking for a job as a recent college graduate is to identify who you can reach out to. As previously mentioned, this includes family, friends, friends-of-the-family, and so on. If you are fortunate enough that your parents are socially active, this can open the door for wide ranging connections including civic, philanthropic, fundraising among others. These organizations are populated by people who, often by their very nature, enjoy networking. They are often more than willing to help in some measure if they can.
Don’t forget to tap into your parents’ network of vendors: Doctor, banker, insurance agent, financial planner, dentist, etc. You want to reach out and network with those people who can get you connected with a company or executive who can hire you. The wider you cast the net, the greater the chances of job leads coming your way.
Messaging
Once you have identified some potential networking “targets,” you must have a clear message when you contact them. In other words, you have to know what you are going to say (verbally or in writing). Put serious thought and the necessary time into this step. What you say and how you present yourself is vitally important. It must be well-thought, succinct, and professional (think elevator speech). Below is an example to get you thinking as you create your own messaging.
“Mr. Johnson, my name is Brent Cooper. You may know my parents, Bob and Betty Cooper, from the Iota Foundation.
The purpose of my call [or email] is I will be graduating in May from State University with a degree in Business Marketing. I worked as a summer intern at Burris & Haltom, a marketing and advertising firm in Dallas, where I received experience in the real working world.
I am starting a job search for my first professional-level position. My parents felt that you would be a resource for some insight and advice about my job search. If you can make yourself available, I would like to set up a brief appointment to speak.”
Engaging in Conversation
Once interest is established to engage in conversation, it is incumbent upon you to kick off the conversation. Start with a re-statement of your graduation, major, internships then the types of positions, company-types, industries that are of interest to you. Ask if they have heard of any particular companies that are hiring or have hired new grads. You can ask questions relevant to the industry, general economy, job market, and so on. Do what you can to get the conversation to flow. Build rapport. Listen. Gather information.
At the end of the conversation, be a good networker and offer to help. You may not have much of anything to offer, but it is the “offering” that will make you a good networker. Your offer to help could sound something like this:
I truly appreciate the time you spent with me. I know, given my circumstances I may not have much of anything to offer you in return for you speaking with me, but should you think of something, I hope you’ll reach out to me.
Networking as a recent college graduate can be intimidating. It will require you to step out of your comfort zone and show courage. But take heart! Research shows that your networking contacts have a strong desire to help you! They are forgiving if you stumble or come across awkward in your messaging.120 Most all of your contacts recognize what you are doing and the power that networking may have played in their own careers. Being perfect in your networking is not your goal. Reaching out and giving your best effort is.
Depending upon your college or university, tapping into the alumni association can provide rich networking opportunities. Some alumni associations are active, others are not. Occasionally, alumni will volunteer to be a networking resource for recent college graduates—especially to those graduates with a common degree.
Depending upon the school or the alumni association, you may need to join. If there is a membership fee, it is normally affordable. Membership gives you access to the alumni directory—a potential treasure trove of networking contacts.
What the Coaches Say:
What is your advice about using an alumni association as a part of a graduate’s job search?
The Alumni association is one of the greatest resources a student can have from their college education and unfortunately it is often ignored by students and graduates. Alumni are always happy to help students from their alma mater.
Tapping into the alumni association gives the student easy access to resources that would be more difficult and costly to access otherwise. Many managers in the workplace will reach out to their alma mater first to find qualified candidates for a position. Many alumni associations provide free resources for career coaching, resume writing, interview coaching and other career services. If a college graduate is not connected to the alumni association, these are opportunities they will be missing.
Juliet Murphy, MBA, MA
The alumni association of your college or university is a built-in network that was designed to help people make connections during and after their time at the institution. Participating in events is an easy way to build and strengthen your network. And the best part? Most alumni association events are designed to be fun!
Another overlooked benefit to participating in alumni association programs is that active participants are willing to help—after all, that’s why they’ve joined and become involved in their alumni association. By participating in your alumni association, you get the opportunity to take advantage of an accessible network of people who are willing to help.
Bryan Lubic, M.A., J.D., CCMC, CJSS
Identify alumni that based on their profile, might be able to help you. Look for alumni that are early in their careers (they have just gone through what you are going through now). Alumni that are in mid-career are also great contacts. They have developed networks that could expand your reach for potential jobs. Alumni that are later in their careers are a mixed bag. Some could be helpful while others are too far removed to assist.
Start reaching out right away. Like all networking, it takes effort to get started; build momentum, and establish rapport.
An easy way to get dialed into the alumni network is to socialize locally. Some alumni form local chapters and have social events. Reach out, get connected, and start attending. For your first alumni function, ask for a chaperone to introduce you to others. This can ease the initial anxiety of your first function.
Most alumni associations have an online presence (occasionally through the college of university website). Use their website to connect and network with alumni.
To successfully approach alumni, you must have a purpose and a well-thought message (or script). Do not approach alumni with “I need a job.” Instead introduce yourself and ask for job search advice, market insight, referrals to others and so on (using the scripting concepts of previous examples).
The script below is an example for a recent college graduate reaching out to an alumnus located in a different city:
Mr. Blakestead, my name is Liz Ryan and we are both graduates of State University with degrees in Marketing. I’m looking to re-locate to New York to pursue a career in apparel marketing. Could you share a few minutes with me about [a topic related to apparel, marketing, job market, etc.]?
Use your script as a verbal call, email, or a face-to-face interaction. Always say thank you and send a thank you note. Depending upon the exchange, offer to send your resume and grant permission for the alumnus to forward it to others based on their judgment.
If your college or university does not have a well-organized alumni association, you can run a search on LinkedIn for alumni.
What successes have you seen from graduates that have tapped into the alumni association of a particular college or university?
At a previous institution I was employed at, they had a very robust alumni association online tool that enabled students to connect with alumni for advice on their resumes, a mock interview, or discuss career advice. It was an amazing platform that yielded great opportunities for connections between alumni and students.
One day, I had a particular student with a very specific career objective to work at Amazon in Seattle, Washington, with his end goal becoming a solutions architect for the company and he was struggling on how he could network into it. After speaking with him, I knew the alumni advisor network powered by the alumni association would be a great tool for him utilize. His eyes lit up when he saw there were over 50 alumni who worked at Amazon in the Seattle area. In our coaching session, we talked about how to introduce himself, the importance of being specific with why he was conducting the outreach, how to be professional and engaging, and after our coaching session, he went home and outreached with all 50 alumni. After engaging with roughly half of the alumni, he coordinated three follow up in person informational interviews, and one of those informational interviews landed him an internship. I was thrilled this student was able to network into a role using the alumni association’s technologies, and it goes to show you the power of connecting people to one another in the context of career.
Jered Lish M.S., Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, GCDF
I have a client who is about 25 years into his career. Whenever he decided to change jobs, the first thing he did was reach out to his alumni association. He always got information and introductions that led to new jobs. He offers the same support to fellow alumni who reach out to him.
Lorraine Beaman, MA, CEIC, ACRW, CARW, NCRW, MCD
If you know the direction of your career path, professional associations are a powerful networking tool. Even as a recent college graduate, one of the best things you can do to shorten your job search is to join and be (reasonably) active in a professional association. Professional associations exist to promote the interests of the industry it serves and the careers of its members—through networking!
Some of the most connected and networked professionals you’ll ever meet will belong to professional associations. These people get a “charge” out of being connected in their industry. So, as you discover them, connect with them, network with them, and (professionally and diplomatically) leverage them as a resource for your job search.121
The way to get connected and involved in a professional association is not as difficult as it may appear. It starts with nothing more than an email or phone call to a representative of the association, normally the membership chairperson. When speaking to this person, express your interest in the association and your purpose for wanting to join. Your purpose is to broaden your industry knowledge beyond the classroom, network, get acquainted with the membership, and network for a job.
Professional associations are mostly volunteer organizations. With the exception of a select few positions in large national associations, an association depends on its members volunteering to help. This is achieved through various committees tasked with certain functions. With your job search in mind, ask to be involved on a committee in the association. Which committees could bear the most fruit from networking? Two committees in particular can be most helpful:
Membership Committee—Makes sense given your current circumstances. This committee gets you involved and interacting with potential new members as well as current members. It’s a terrific committee to be involved with for easy introductions and networking.
Program/Speaker Committee—This committee identifies and approaches industry leaders to speak at association events. Being involved with this committee is a great way to get connected to thought-leaders in your industry.
Being a volunteer as a recent college graduate for a professional association normally involves some “grunt” work. Accept that. The interactions with others at the functions will far outweigh the tasks you are assigned.
Finally, being a member of a professional association gives you access to the membership directory. This directory is a goldmine of information! It can be easily used to identify professionals in your industry for job search purposes. Properly handled, your membership in an association will frequently, though not always, give you something in common with a networking contact and gain you a brief networking conversation.
Joining and being a member of a professional association will impress future employers. It shows your interest in the industry, your initiative to develop new skills, and understand industry trends. It also shows you can step out of your classroom comfort zone and into your career. And, don’t forget to put your association membership on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
The more deeply connected you are (or can become) in professional associations, the greater your chances of shortening your job search.
★ Association/Industry Conferences
Most recent college graduates don’t think about attending an industry conference as a part of their job search networking. If you know the direction of your career, attending an industry conference, and networking correctly, will expose you to more employers and give you a distinct advantage over other college graduates. It’s similar to attending an on-campus career fair—numerous potential employers all together in a confined area. The key to this job search strategy is you must have a clear interest in the industry, be reasonable qualified for positions in that industry, and have a plan on how to get the most from the conference (for your job search).
Association and industry conferences are great events for job-search networking. They present an opportunity to meet face to face with industry professionals and hiring executives. You can learn which companies are potentially hiring recent college graduates. Occasionally you can get insider information on companies of interest to you. You will learn this next point in the course of time, but there’s no time like the present: most seasoned professionals who attend professional conferences know there is as much covert recruiting and informal interviewing taking place at conferences as actual business interaction with potential clients and customers. Realizing this fact should make your attendance at a conference less intimidating.
Conferences can be expensive (not just the registration fee, but also travel and lodging). Depending upon your circumstances, you may need to ask your parents for some financial assistance. It is probable that any conference you attend as a recent college graduate will be local or a drivable distance. Sometimes speaking with a conference official and explaining your circumstances (“a poor recent college graduate looking for a job”) can get you a discount on the registrations fee—try it. It can work.
Use the following strategies to get the most out of attending a professional conference to further your job search:
1. Do research using lists of attendees and exhibitors. Every industry conference requires you to register. Registrants often get advance notice listing the attendees and exhibitors (potential employers). Look at both lists for any hiring executives who will attend. This is invaluable information for you. Make it a goal to introduce yourself and speak with them. Research the executives on LinkedIn, and see if you have anyone in common who can introduce you via e-mail or LinkedIn before the conference. This is not likely given your circumstances, but check to make sure.
Research the companies who will be at the conference as well. Too many job seekers (even tenured professionals) come to conferences unprepared. Your presence, initiative, and research will make you stand out. Check out each company online, as well as their jobs page, if one exists. See if they are looking to hire any recent college graduates and entry-level professionals. Also, find out from the conference materials when the exhibit hall is open. You’ll probably do most of your job-search networking during those hours when people are at their booths.
2. Come prepared with your elevator speech, resume, and business cards. Be ready to use your elevator speech. Bring plenty of resumes, but only offer one if asked. Consider having your resumes in an envelope with your name on it so it can be transported easily (and discreetly) in a suit or portfolio. Business cards are a must, especially for circumstances that don’t allow for an extended discussion about employment. Make the contact, have a good conversation, and exchange business cards. You can communicate more fully later and supply a resume (if appropriate). Make sure you put a short note on the back of each business card you receive so that you can remember something about the person or your conversation with them. This is a lifesaver when following up later.
3. Keep your attire conservative and employ a solid conference game plan. First impressions are critical, so conservative business attire is a requirement. Overdressed is better than underdressed. Dressing in conservative attire portrays professionalism and taps into the persuasion principle of authority.
Survey the layout of the conference before you arrive (using the conference materials). Map out the companies that interest you and put them in order of your personal preference, high interest to low interest. Keep in mind that your order may have to change if a lower-priority company has a booth very close to a higher-priority one. As a matter of convenience, you may drop in on a lower-priority company before the next higher-priority one.
When you arrive at the conference, see if any new companies registered too late to be included in your materials, and see if any of them need to be included on your “company hit list.”
4. Make contact. Accept the fact that you will be walking up to booths and introducing yourself to new people. Walk up to the booth, extend a handshake, introduce yourself, and give them your elevator speech. You will be pleasantly surprised how friendly and helpful these people will be. Most people will help you if they can.
It is perfectly acceptable to identify hiring executives from the attendees list whose companies will have booths at the conference. Reach out to them via email or InMail indicating that you will be attending. Ask whether you can swing by their booth and introduce yourself.
5. Remember: Every conversation is an interview. Remember these three things to kicking off a good interview or conversation: make eye contact, offer a firm handshake, and show enthusiasm. Be prepared with a few questions for the person you are speaking with. Do what you can to spark a conversation.
6. Following up is crucial to your success. You’ll likely use e-mail to do this, and contacting every relevant connection you made at the conference may take a lot of time. But you never know which connection will lead to your next job. Use all of the business cards you collected and create a brief follow-up e-mail (or LinkedIn InMail) to each. This is where the notes you recorded on the back of each card pay dividends.
The idea of walking into a conference filled with strangers can be intimidating, especially as a recent college graduate. That’s completely understandable and you are not alone in that feeling (tenured professionals have those feeling too!). However, networking is very important to your job search and your career. It’s a necessary skill. If you get the opportunity to attend an association or industry conference, follow the steps in this section. Research. Plan your strategy. Bring your business cards and practice your elevator speech. And then, muster the courage and meet people. After the first few engagements, initiating conversations will get easier and you won’t be able to wait to talk to the next person!
Discover whether the association has local chapters. Some do, and they frequently hold regular monthly meetings. Local chapter meetings tend to be breakfast, lunches, or after-hours meetings. The cost for these local meetings is usually little or nothing, if you are a member of the national organization. Try speaking to the local chapter president and explaining your circumstance. It could get you in for free at least for a while (until you get a job, then you have to pay like anyone else. Sometimes your employer will cover the costs of association memberships.). Attend as many as possible and build your network.
When it comes to attending a local function, ask for a chaperone—a person that can show you around and introduce you to others. You can ask for a chaperone (a different one) for the first couple of times you attend a function. After that you need to be your “own professional” and attend and introduce yourself.
Icebreaker Questions for Conferences and Events
Often the most intimidating part about networking at a conference or event is starting a conversation. After an introduction, it’s uncomfortable to deal with that awkward moment of silence. The trick to overcoming that awkwardness is to be prepared with a handful of conversation starters—icebreaker questions.
When engaging in a conversation, be present in the moment and focus. Use open-ended questions starting with “what” and “how” whenever possible. Start all networking conversations with the idea of creating a “conversation surplus” for the other person. Let them fill the “conversation bucket” about them, their company, or anything else they want to talk about. Be a good, interested listener. Only speak of yourself when they ask, and eventually they will. Otherwise, keep the focus on them. Let them create the surplus in the conversation by way of your questions.
More often than not, a networking conversation balances out and ends up being equal in terms of the sharing of information and time spent in conversation.
If the conversation ends with a significant surplus in your fellow attendee’s favor, that’s fine. Praise yourself for being a good listener. You don’t know how that seemingly lopsided conversation might benefit you in the future.
Here are some good icebreaker questions to spur conversation:
• What do you do? (Follow up with a request for their opinion on an industry issue, trend, event, or something else—this is where industry research shows you are tuned into the industry trends)
• What motivated you to come to this conference/event?
• What do you think of the lineup of speakers?
• What did you think of the breakout session topics?
• What are you finding most interesting (or valuable) about this conference/event?
• Attendance looks good. Do you come every year (or every month if a local event)?
• What’s your organization’s competitive edge over your competitors?
Once the conversation begins and the initial discomfort dissipates, an engaging conversation can start to develop. As a good networker, always offer to help a contact whenever you can with the understanding that they will do what they can to help you. You may not have much of anything to offer, but it is the “offering” that will make you a good networker.
Goals of a Networking Conversation
Your primary goal in a networking conversation is to display and utilize professional networking techniques. Yes, you are networking with the purpose of advancing your job search, but you will gain more traction and advance your search further by being patient and strategic.
Display networking skills first: Be present in the moment, actively listen, ask questions, and so on. By using your professional networking skills and engaging in conversation, you have built rapport. Then, when you state your situation, there is more likelihood the contact will help you!
Listen carefully and learn—what you discover may help advance your job search (you never know how at the moment). You could also pass onto others what you discover at the conference or event that could possibly help them in a myriad of ways (even as a recent college graduate, this can happen).
Face-to-Face Networking as an Introvert
Networking can be more challenging if you are introverted. Meeting new people face-to-face just does not come as easy to you as it does for others. Fortunately, there are some very practical strategies you can use to defuse much of the anxiety of networking:
• Remind yourself of the value networking has to your job search. Sixty to eighty percent of all jobs are a result of some form of networking.122 Psych yourself up the best you can (without alcohol!).
• Go to smaller events. Avoid conferences or association events that are attended by the thousands and look for opportunities where the attendees are more in the hundreds or less.123 Attend local functions and ask for a chaperone.
• Focus on groups where you have a common interest or common purpose. For example, if you’re a recent graduate with a nursing degree and you don’t want to go into clinical nursing. You discover that there are nurses working in the Workers’ Compensation industry, look for a group comprised of nurse case managers. Conversation will be easier because you have knowledge of nursing and will be able to relate, to a certain degree, to conversations. These types of functions often have educational sessions, which gives you a reason for being there if you feel the need to state one.
• Before attending a function, create a list of three or four icebreaker questions. Use the previous section on icebreaker questions as a guide. Preparation is key. At an event with unfamiliar people, you may become distracted by your surroundings and forget a few things—having your list of questions will make conversations with other attendees much easier.
• Finally, know how to close a conversation. When the conversation has run its course and the silence begins to feel awkward, have a closing line that will politely allow you to move on. For example, “It has been a pleasure speaking with you. I’m sure you have others to meet as do I. Do you have a card?”
When properly done, networking will open doors to opportunities. To be a successful networker, offer to give far more than you ever expect to receive. Over time, you will discover that you have received more than you gave.
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105 Williams,, Armstrong. “A Few Simple Steps to Building Wealth.” Townhall. June 13, 2005. http://townhall.com/columnists/armstrongwilliams/2005/06/13/a_few_simple_steps_to_building_wealth/page/full (accessed May 28, 2015).
106 See also, Phillips, Simon. The Complete Guide to Professional Networking: The Secrets of Online and Offline Success. London: Kogan Page Limited. 2014. p. 1.
107 Van Vlooten, Dick. “The Seven Laws of Networking: Those Who Give, Get.” Science Mag. May 7, 2004. http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2004/05/seven-laws-networking-those-who-give-get.
108 “Networking.” BusinessDictionary.com. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/networking.html (accessed November 12, 2015).
109 Byrne, Attraction, quoted in Kurtzberg and Naquin, Essentials, p. 35.
110 Moynihan et al. “A Longitudinal Study.” Quoted in Kurtzberg and Naquin. Essentials. p. 30–32.
111 See also, ibid., Chapter 4, “How to Work the Room in Five Easy Steps.”
112 Claycomb, Heather, and Karl Dinse. Career Pathways—Interactive Workbook. (1995), Part 7.
113 LinkedIn, “Using LinkedIn to Find a Job”; Beatty, “The Math Behind the Networking Claim”; Rothberg, “80% of Job Openings.”
114 “Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey Finds Over 90% of Employers Will Use Social Recruiting in 2012.” Jobvite. July 9, 2012. http://www.jobvite.com/press-releases/2012/jobvite-social-recruiting-survey-finds-90employers-will-use-social-recruiting-2012/ (accessed November 10, 2015).
115 Ibid., p. 1.
116 “Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotable Quote.” Goodreads. www.goodreads.com/quotes/60285-do-the-thing-you-fear-and-the-death-of-fear (accessed May 28, 2015).
117 Ayele, “Land Your Dream Job.” http://blog.linkedin.com/2015/01/29/jobseeking-tips/.
118 Ibid.
119 Arruda. “Is LinkedIn Poised.” http://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2015/03/08/is-linkedinpoised-to-be-the-next-media-giant/.
120 “Networking 101 for New Grads.” U.S. News and World Report. http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/networking-101-for-new-grads.
121 Yate, Knock ’em Dead, p. 86.
122 “Using LinkedIn to Find a Job”; Beatty, LinkedIn. “The Math Behind the Networking Claim”; Rothberg, “80% of Job Openings.”
123 Townsend, Maya. “The Introvert’s Survival Guide to Networking.” Inc.com. http://www.inc.com/mayatownsend/introvert-networking-guide.html (accessed November 4, 2015).