From UTexas.edu

WHAT:
Developing personal
contacts,
both formally and informally.

WHY:
75% of all professional
and
technical jobs are obtained through networking. Develop contacts
for
information on industries, companies, additional contacts,
locations,
etc.

WITH WHOM:

Friends                                    
Colleagues                              Former
employers/co-workers

Former
clients                          
Relatives                                  Bankers

Dentist/doctor                            Insurance
agent                         Classmates (under utilized)

Social
clubs                              Professional
groups                 
Alumni

Religious
groups                      
Faculty                                      Former schools

HOW:

§        
Do not
ask for a
job, as this puts people on the sport and they generally have to
say
“no”. Instead, ask for information and advice. If they know of a

position that’s right for you, they’ll volunteer that
information.
Listen more than talk. Shoot for face-to-face meetings – take
them to
breakfast or lunch if needed.

§        
Feel
embarrassed
or guilty? Remember: they are giving you contact, not a job!
Most people
enjoy being instrumental in someone else’s success. Give them
that
opportunity to help and include them in your successes.

SAMPLE INITIAL CONTACT:

“Joe Shmo (from XXX) suggested I call
you. I’m
working on (or finishing) my MBA and am exploring career
options. I am
looking for information and advice from someone who is doing
what I
think I want to do. Can you spend 20 minutes with me at a time
that is
convenient for you?”

If you arrange to meet for 20 minutes,
stay
within those limits. After your meeting or extended telephone
conversation, thank them and ask for the names of other people
with whom
you could talk just as you’ve talked with them. This is
networking.
Request to use this person’s name with the meetings you set up.
And so
it continues. Leave your contact person a resume for their
reference.

FOLLOW UP:

§        
Formal thank you letters for meeting or
conversation

§        
Result of the contacts they gave you

§        
Send them articles/information you come across
during your
research that would be of interest to them – build good will.

WHERE:

Network EVERYWHERE. Standing in line at
the
movies, overhear some people talking about something relevant to
you –
interrupt and include yourself. Dentists love to talk, and the
friendly
ones keep up with what their clients do and where they work.
Don’t be
afraid to ask. What is the worst thing that can happen?
Airplanes are
also great places to meet professionals (even if you’re not
flying first
class)!

The easiest resources are professional

organizations. Most national organizations have local
chapters that
meet monthly. This is an excellent place to meet and network. A
word of
caution: don’t ask people for jobs at meetings. Once again, as
for
information and discuss topics of mutual interest. Collect
business
cards. Later, call and ask to set up a meeting. If you make a
positive
impression on a contact, the job offers will follow.

REMEMBER:

You are always networking wherever you
are, so
make certain you stay on your best behavior when you are around
any new
people!

 

NETWORKING
HOW-TO’S

LIST YOUR CONTACTS

Make a list of everyone you know. Yes,
everyone!
That’s not an easy task, it’s a necessary one. Start with the
people
with whom you are in current contact; then review your
achievements list
to recall people with whom you’ve lost touch. Include people
from all
facets of your life: business, professional, and voluntary
associations;
social, community, and religious organizations; college and
other
educational affiliations; military service. Don’t forget
customers (past
and present), suppliers, lawyers, accountants, bankers, local
merchants,
and relatives. You may wish to organize the list in some way,
but don’t
leave out someone because you assume he or she wouldn’t be
useful. You
never know who might be useful. This list forms the foundation
for your
networking. Keep it handy.

LIST YOUR OBJECTIVES

When a need arises that requires
networking,
first write down your objective. You may be looking for specific

knowledge about an industry, tactical advice about approaching a

company, or an introduction to a specific person. Once you are
clear
about your objectives, develop a very explicit question that
gets at
just what you’re after, such as “Which companies in the pulp and
paper
industry are most environmentally aware?” Next, note who on your
list
might have that information or be able to recommend you to
someone who
does.

POLISH YOUR SCRIPT

Write and polish a networking script.
State your
need clearly and concisely. Request the type of assistance
you’re hoping
for from your contact, whether information or a referral to
someone a
step closer to the information. Stress that you’re willing to
work
through a long chain of referrals to find what you’re after;
emphasize
that even a remote or peripheral suggestion should be helpful.

TELEPHONE YOUR CONTACTS

Once you’re satisfied with your
networking
script, pick up the phone. Begin with people you feel
comfortable
calling. Explain your reason for calling. Do your best to obtain
at
least one new name from each contact, and additional link in
your
network chain. Ask whether you may use your contact’s name when
you call
his or her connections. Most important, never back your contact
into a
corner.

FACILITATE THE NETWORKING CONVERSATION

§        
Help your
contact
think about your request in broad terms. If your contact’s first
words
are, “I don’t know anyone who fits this description”, make it
clear that
you’d value any kind of suggestion, however tangential. Cite
examples of
where someone led you to someone, who in turn knew of someone
else who
had the information you desired. Intrigue them with the process
in order
to stretch their thinking.

§        
If
appropriate,
briefly describe your marketing campaign and how networking fits
in.
Demonstrate how much preparation has preceded your call so your
contact
can see that this is not an idle inquiry

§        
If no
immediate
ideas are forthcoming, forestall a negative response by
suggesting your
contact mull over your request for a day or two. Make specific
arrangements to follow up your call, in a way that leaves no
doubt that
you will. And do it!

§        
Be
considerate of
each person with whom you network. Be organized, be concise and
don’t
waste anyone’s time. Be honest about your needs and sensitive to
your
contact’s relationship with his or her network. Don’t expect
your
contact to share information if you convey the feeling that you
might
not handle it appropriately.

§        
Mention
early in
the conversation that you would like to get one or more names.
This
gives your contact more time to think of possible names and
reduces your
need for call-backs.

§        
For
certain
networking tasks, face-to-face meetings are the most effective;
in many
cases, however, less time-consuming telephone contacts can yield
equal
benefits. Seeking in-depth industry or company information and
selling
yourself are best done in person. Finding a particular piece of
information may be done more expeditiously by phone. Always be
prepared
to accommodate your contact’s preference: if he or she would
prefer that
you schedule a face-to-face meeting before sharing contacts, for

example, by all means be prepared to meet. Use the tool to fit
the task.

CROSS-REFERENCE YOUR CONTACTS

If you are networking effectively, you
should be
able to create as wide a network as you require to achieve the
task. The
process generates an increasingly large number of referrals and
contacts. Set up a ready cross-reference system to track who
referred
whom and a follow-up system to ensure that you call contacts who

promised to think about your request or who were unavailable
when you
first called.

TROUBLE-SHOOTING

What
if
your networking efforts are not generating referrals? Check to
see what
you may be doing wrong by role-playing. Return to some of your
early
network contacts, and ask them for candid feedback. Put yourself
in your
contact’s place:

§        
Would you
be
comfortable being approached the way you are approaching others?
Would
you be likely to want to help, if you could?

§        
Does your
story
come across as plausible?

§        
Are you
clear
about what you expect from your contacts?

§        
Are you
expecting
too much, making your contact feel ill at ease?

§        
Are you
using the
time of each network contact to best advantage?

§        
Are you
someone
others are comfortable referring to their connections? If you
are
long-winded, if you overstay your welcome, or if you signal,
“Rescue
me”, go back to the drawing board.

§        
Are you
networking
under false pretenses? If you’re at the selling stage, don’t ask
for an
appointment under the pretax of an investigative interview. Word
travels
quickly, and no one appreciates being hoodwinked.