Do you hate networking? A lot of people do, but it’s one of the most powerful things you can do to drive your career.
For reluctant networkers, just the word makes them think of stilted conversations and awkward exchanges of business cards and sweaty handshakes. But I promise it doesn’t have to be that way!
I always start this conversation with my clients by reminding them that networking is really just relationship-building. It doesn’t have to be an uncomfortable transactional experience. It can be lovely and genuine and even comfortable.
Always start from the place of service. If you approach new contacts with the idea of being helpful to them, you’ll likely feel more comfortable, and your networking partner will understand that you are genuine in your desire to connect. It will feel a lot better to ask for help later on. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should assume they need your help, but that you should approach the conversation from a genuine place of wanting to help.
A relatively easy way to do this is to ask for an informational interview: “I saw that your job title is associate vice president of customer success. I’d love to learn more about your role and how you got into it. Are you available for a short informational interview?” If they say yes, prepare the questions you most want to know about, but also let the conversation flow freely.
Pro tip when arranging these conversations: NEVER make them do the work! This is a pretty big pet peeve of mine—people who ask to talk with me about what I do and then send me a Calendly link so I can fit in to their schedule. While you’re focused on making the conversation be about the other person, the ask is still yours, so plain old politeness dictates that you are fitting into that person’s calendar, not the other way around. Instead of asking them to schedule with you, suggest some times. When you fine one that works, schedule things on your end—either you will call them or you send a Zoom invitation, not the other way around.
When you schedule a conversation with someone, be sure to prepare some talking points so that the conversation doesn’t feel awkward or forced. Think about those questions you want to ask (for example, a typical workday, the person’s career path, that sort of thing), and then also have some good conversation-starters:
- I love how your organization….
- With your knowledge, what do you think about…?
- How did you get started in this profession?
- What do you enjoy most about your work?
- What did you major in in college?
- If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
Have fun with these! Your goal is to engage them in an interesting conversation, so ask things that you think will be genuinely interesting to learn about.
