Kathy Douglas
Before You Go…
Plan what you would like to get out of the networking event or interaction. It might be more or less strategic, depending on the situation. Are you looking for job or internship leads? Working on expanding your network? Do you have a follow up question on a topic covered at a talk? Do you want to let a visitor know that you have a mutual connection?
Prepare a 2-3 sentence description of yourself to include unique career or academic interests. This will be in addition to your basic “name/degree/hello-handshake.” Write out a few items based on each of the below points. Once you have completed this step, go back to each one and edit down to 1-2 concise sentences or points. Decide upon an order that makes sense for a general introduction, and be prepared to adjust according to context.
Include:
- what you are focusing on currently—a specific project/research topic/recent course
- why you do what you do – why have you chosen your course of study?
- who you are working with—faculty, peers, campus partners, authors, role models and thought leaders who influence you
- a highlight of your individual story—this might be where you are from, an event you are planning, your language or technical skills, internship experience you have, a relevant transformative life event, the campus job you have
In Person…
Introduce yourself with your name, status (i.e. degree, year, and school), and if the individual seems receptive, a handshake. If you know the individual already or their work, use their name, say you are happy to meet them, and make a comment/remark about their work/talk. SAVE your 2-3 sentences for later in the exchange.
If you don’t know the individual, listen for their name, and note any other information they provide so you can ask follow up questions based on it.
Use and repeat the individual’s name twice in your first response, and during your conversation.
Ask questions—what does the individual you just met do? If at a conference, ask if they heard a keynote, and if so, what they thought. Questions can be about logistics too—not every interaction has to be a high stakes meeting, you can just ask in a friendly way if someone knows about an afternoon event, or how to get to the local museum… Ask questions based on their introduction—“How is the engineering program at your university?”
When asked what you do, what you are studying, or why you are at the event, provide a 2-3 sentence answer based on your prepared response.
Look for common ground, academically and personally, depending on context and how the conversation unfolds, and integrate it into the conversation.
Ask for and be prepared to provide contact information for follow up. Take notes about conversations while exchanging contact information, or immediately afterwards.
Follow Up. You don’t have to follow up with everyone, it’s okay to be strategic. But if you promise to send an article or make an introduction, then you do need to follow up.
