So you’ve followed our guidelines on how and where to network. You’re all set right? Wrong.
Getting the courage to go out and network is only half the battle. Once you’ve established that connection, it is even more important to maintain that relationship. You can network and make connections with people almost anywhere — whether that be in line at the grocery store, through alumni at your university, friends of the family, etc.
Once you get used to it, networking becomes almost effortless and business cards will be stacking up. You think that within weeks you will have a stack of job offers equally as high as your stack of business cards. Weeks role by and no offers have come in, so what did you do wrong?
Some of the best business advice I have ever received came from an alumnae at my university who now works as a producer for CNN. She told me that when it comes to networking, it is not who you know, but rather who knows you.
She explained that anyone can go out there and make connections and network with people, but it’s the people whose reputations precede them who will get the job.
Here are a few ways to ensure you will be memorable among the masses and get your contacts excited about you:
Maintain current contact relationships: Make sure to maintain any and all contact relationships made through networking and from previous internships. Continue a purposeful dialogue between these contacts. Even if they don’t have room to hire you at the moment, they may know other companies that need someone, or down the line a position may open up. Again, the goal is to maintain a purposeful dialogue, so make sure each e-mail is worth the time you spend to write it, and more importantly, worth the time it will take them to read and correspond to it.
Besides discussing their company or their thoughts about current trends within the industry, make sure to extend an invitation to them if you have something important going on that is related to the field such as a showcase or portfolio of your work, a presentation you may give, etc. By doing this, you further strengthen the relationship you have with that contact, as well as give them an opportunity to witness your capabilities firsthand. This will give you an edge to others, as well as be an easy way for your contact to justify your qualifications for a position or recommend you to another contact within the industry based on the reputation you established with the contact.
Attend conferences: Attend at least one business conference within the industry you desire to work in each semester. Here you will not only be able to make tons of new contacts, but also you will impress your many new contacts by attending a professional conference and holding your own amongst the established professionals.
Many conferences will have a lunch hour where they will showcase projects and proposals given by companies and graduate students. Try to showcase some of your work during this section. A great proposal presentation given during this time can go a long way. Even if you do not make as many connections during this time because of your presentation, you will very likely see these same industry professionals at a later conference. Your familiar face will jog the employers memory and may cause them to approach you and inquire where you may have met before. Not only will they be impressed about the presentation given at the other conference, but they will be even more impressed to see you at another industry event.
Be genuine: It seems so simple, but it truly is the most important thing you can do to stand out and make others excited about you as you enter the industry. Try your best to not be nervous when meeting and maintaining these new relationships.
This is definitely something easier said than done. Once you become more set in your own professional goals, a confidence and ease in conversation will be established. Conversation should never feel forced. These things can only be mastered through practice and experience with networking. When a contact sees how effortlessly the dialogue flows between you two they will see how ready you are to enter the industry. With this realization, your contacts will begin to search through their own networks to help you as well as give you a glowing introduction.
What are some things you do to maintain memorable relationships with new contacts?
