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| (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
I know you’ve all heard it before but I’m going to tell you again –
networking is one of the best ways to get a job. It turns you into a walking
advertisement that people will remember much better who you are and what you
are about.
Remember that the thing that works with networking is that you get
to build relationships and trust with potential employers. You get the
opportunity to show them who you really are. With that in mind, here are a few
tips to help you with your networking endeavors:
- Know what your goals are when you walk into a room. This will help you find the right people to talk
to (not that there is ever a wrong person to talk to at a networking event
but there are some people that are more right – like the human resources
person).
- Remember – 4W’s and the H – who, what,
where, when, and how. When you ask questions like these you are likely to
get more valuable answers. Questions that result in a yes/no answer rarely
give you the kind of information that you need.
- Have valuable information at the ready. When people see you as intelligent and able to
give informative answers they will come to your for information and
resources and you will be at the forefront of their mind.
- Have a great elevator speech. An elevator speech is named as such because you could
use it in the time it takes an elevator to get to the top floor of a
building. It should introduce you and give them enough information about
you to have an idea of who you are. Make sure that you KNOW that elevator
speech so well that you don’t stumble over the words and that you can say
it naturally.
- Get to know someone a bit before you give them your
business card otherwise they will think
you are pushy and rude and ultimately, unprofessional.
- Take some time after the event to phone or
email your referrals. Let them know you enjoyed talking to them and
try to bring up something that you talked about. That way they will know
you were listening!
What is your favorite networking tip?
