General Rules
- Listen 80% and talk 20%
- Exchange business cards only when appropriate
- Take pride in your appearance and dress appropriately
- Carry cards with you all times
- Volunteer your services
- Never make promises you cannot keep
- Be outgoing and conversational
- Find your common ground (interests, life experiences, occupations....) and build upon it
- Use a mnemonic device to remember people's names
- Wait until your listener asks about you, then explain your situation in positive terms, even if it's hard to find positives.
- Follow up an invitation to lunch or coffee.
- Send thank-you & follow-up notes to:
- Acknowledge anyone who was particularly helpful to you
- spent considerable time on the phone or in person with you
- gave you a lead or referral (whether it worked out or not).
Telephone
- Be polite to secretaries and other assistants and learn their names and a little about them
- Tell the person who you
- Ask if now is a good time to talk
- State why you're calling.
- Don't call only when you need something
- Don't call the same person all the time
Online
- Keep Content of the discussion or emails on track and focused.
- Make it easy for people to read, cut out jargon and verbosity.
- Don't forget to provide general information such as the aims of the discussion, total number of participants and where they come from.
- Write simply and concisely
- Target a clearly defined group of participants
- Keep messages brief.
At Events
- Introduce yourself and offer your business card
- Express an interest in the conversation.
- Keep your initial comments limited and work your way in over a number of events
- If you have something really worthwhile to add to the conversation, go for it (just be sure)
- If you know most people in the room and approaching a lone newbie
- Watch you manners and language
- Keep drinking to a minimum
Networking No No's
- Collecting as many business cards as possible; you want quality not just quantity
- Using people
- Being dishonest about your motives or intentions
- Dropping names and implying connections you don't have
- Talking too much
- Talking too little
- Acting fake, obnoxious, or annoying
- Prying too deeply into their business
- Being a "Know-it-all"
Key Career Networking Resources for Job-Seekers
http://www.quintcareers.com/networking_resources.html
A collection of key Web-based career and job-search network resources for job-seekers.
Need help with learning about networking -- or polishing your networking skills? What follows is a collection of the best general networking resources -- including articles, tips, tutorials, and more -- available on the Web.
Quintessential Networking Resources
For Networking and Support, Join or Start a Job Club -- learn everything you need to know about networking job clubs, an article written by Katharine Hansen.
Informational Interviewing: A Top Tool for College Students -- read about why college students should take advantage of this great networking tool, an article by Katharine Hansen.
Informational Interviewing Tutorial -- learn all about a powerful tool of networking -- the informational interview.
Internet Networking Tutorial -- a comprehensive guide to the many ways you can use the Internet to connect with people all over the world and help build your personal network of contacts for social, business, and career purposes.
The Networking Buddy System for Job-Search Success -- an article by Clay Barrett that discusses the power of having a fellow job-searcher to network with.
Networking Business Cards: An Essential Job-Search Tool for Career Changers and College Students When A Resume Just Won't Do -- guidelines for creating your own networking business cards, by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Networking Do's and Don'ts -- a collection of key networking rules and tips, compiled by Katharine Hansen.
Networking Your Way to a New Job -- an easy-to-follow article for all job-seekers outlining the importance and methods of networking, by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Researching Employers through Informational Interviews -- an article that shows you how to gather critical employer research through informational interviewing, by Katharine Hansen.
Seven Smart Networking Moves Guaranteed To Make You More Memorable -- an article by Susan Britton Whitcomb that includes great tips and suggestions for networking opportunities.
Taking Networking to the Next Level: Getting Your Name Out There, an article by Katharine Hansen. that discusses the need to take networking to the next level to achieve job-search and career success.
The Value of a Mentor -- learn about the value of a mentor for all job-seekers and students, an article by Katharine Hansen.
Best Other Networking Resources
Networking -- a nice collection of resources about networking, including a look at why networking is important, a networking timeline, and how to turn any situation into a networking opportunity. From monster.com.
SchmoozeMonger.com -- a great networking spot that refers to itself as "The Networking Uberportal." Find various philosophies and strategies for networking, a fun online game focused on networking issues ("Who Wants to be a Schmoozing Zillionaire"), a networking learning center, the Schmoozeletter (e-zine), and much more. Free to job-seekers.
Zero to Network -- a networking blog from Stephen Harris. Great insights from a formerly displaced job-seeker who started with a network of zero... and quickly learned the power of networking -- and shares those insights in this blog.
Other Networking Resources
The Directory of Mentor Arts and Mentorship -- A comprehensive source on finding and benefiting from mentors.
Networking Assessment for Job-Seekers -- where job-seekers can take a non-interactive quiz and judge their networking skills.
Networking Books
FEATURED BOOK:
A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way into the Hidden Job Market , by Katharine Hansen (Ten Speed). A highly-touted book about networking and informational interviews, from the author of Dynamic Cover Letters and Dynamic Cover Letters for New Graduates. Read it today!
BEST BETS:
It's Who You Know: Career Strategies for Making Effective Personal Contacts, by Cynthia Chin-Lee (Pfeiffer & Co).
Network Your Way to Your Next Job...Fast, by Clyde C. Lowstuter and David P. Robertson (McGraw-Hill).
Networking for Everyone: Connecting with People for Career and Job Success, by L. Michelle Tullier (Jist Works).
You may also want to visit Quintessential Careers: Print Networking Publications for other networking resources in print.
THE OTHERS:
Career Networking: How to Develop the Right Contacts to Help You Throughout Your Working Life, by Laurel Alexander (Trans Atlantic).
How to Find Those Hidden Jobs, by Violet M. Cooper (Dimi Press).
Networking, by Margaret Heenehan (Princeton Review).
Networking for Novices: Making and Using the Connections that Count, by Susan Shelly (Learning Express).
Power Networking: Using the Contact You Don't Even Know You Have to Succeed in the Job You Want, by Marc Krammer (VGM Career Horizons).
Networking Etiquette
http://career.berkeley.edu/CarNet/Etiquette.stm
Keep in mind the following tips when you begin to network:
Making Contact
Review the Career Networkers' profiles carefully to find the most appropriate matches for you. Note how they want to be contacted and be clear about the information that you are seeking. Introduce yourself as a Cal student or recent graduate who is interested in talking with them about their perspectives. Remember, the networkers have volunteered to offer career-related advice, NOT jobs.
Time
Use it wisely by doing your homework about the networker's organization, preparing questions in advance, and being mindful of the clock once your meeting has begun. Let the networker guide the length of the conversation. Typically, an informational interview lasts about 20 minutes.
Dress
Generally, neat business casual is the advised attire if you are going to meet with an alum at his or her workplace. Suits, sports coat with a tie, skirts, pantsuits are all acceptable. However, some work environments are more formal, while others are more relaxed. To be sure of what is most appropriate, ask your contact ahead of time what the dress style is. You can refer to our Interview Attire page to see what each category of workplace dress typically entails.
Confidentiality
Respect networkers' communications with you and reflect on the appropriateness of disclosing the information to others.
Gratitude
Express your appreciation for their time through a thank you note sent via email or postal mail.
Follow-up
If appropriate, periodically inform your contact about your progress, especially if their advice or direction was helpful.
Resume
If you have a resume, you may want to provide a copy as background information for the career networkers before you meet them.
Networking Etiquette
Using the Online Alumni Directory or Other Sources
http://www.careerservices.neu.edu/docs/networkingetiquette.doc
Whether you're contacting a family friend for a networking meeting, or requesting an informational interview with an N.U. alumnus/a you've never met, it is critical to observe the appropriate etiquette.
Initial Contact
Once you've identified a professional you'd like to meet, through the Online Directory or other source, call their organization's main number to make sure the person is still there and to verify their contact information, including proper spelling.
Write a clear, succinct letter or email to request a meeting before calling a potential contact cold. Not only is cold calling difficult for most people, but it is less courteous to the person being called. Moreover, preparing your contact for your call is more likely to result in an interview.
Email Etiquette
It is perfectly acceptable to email your request. The only difference between an email letter and a paper letter is that it is not necessary to include the date and the recipient's address at the top of an email. It is necessary to be just as careful with grammar and format.
Other tips on business communication via email:
- Keep your messages short; in business, time is money.
- Use a type and formatting that is easy to read.
- Make the subject line descriptive.
- Save the high priority/urgent option for real emergencies.
- Do not use cute abbreviations or s drawn with punctuation :-) (called emoticons.)
- Do not write all in capitals. It is the email equivalent of shouting.
- Do not attach your resume to a request letter; you can share it later.
- Re-read the email before sending; check the message and tone and ensure that it is error-free.
The Meeting
Show respect for your contact's time by being prompt and prepared and by sticking with the allotted time (usually about 20 minutes) you agreed on. Prepare yourself by researching the company to impress your contact as well as to avoid wasting time asking the obvious. Write out a list of well thought-out questions and refer to them during your meeting, even if you are meeting in person. It is fine to take notes, and useful to obtain a business card. Thank the contact at the end of your discussion and leave promptly.
Follow Up
Write a personalized thank you note, referring to specific advice or information you particularly appreciated and send it promptly. This can be by email or on notepaper or a note card. It is appropriate to update contacts about your progress from time to time, and even to ask further advice. Don't forget to notify all of your contacts when you accept a new job, and thank them again for their help.
A Sample Letter
January 12, 2004
Ms. Holly Golightly
Account Executive
AdSource, Inc.
222 Washington Street
Boston, MA 12345
Dear Ms. Golightly:
I found your name on Sacred Heart's Online Alumni Directory. I am a recent graduate of Sacred Heart, where I majored in Finance. After completing a coop placement with a small advertising agency, I decided to pursue advertising as a career.
Your agency has a wonderful reputation and is one of the largest in New England. I would very much appreciate the opportunity to ask you some questions about life in a large advertising firm and to solicit your advice about entering the field.
I will call you at your office during the week of January 19 to see if a brief meeting or telephone conversation can be arranged. I would appreciate any time you could spend sharing your expertise.
Sincerely,
Your signature
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