Page 24 - Carlson School GBCC Career Guide

Formal Networking Events
NETWORKING
Formal networking opportunities are abundant. Developing skills for entering, engaging, and exiting conversations will help you make the most of an event. Remember, your focus should be on the quality rather than quantity of connections you make.
1
ENTERING
a conversation
2 ENGAGING
in the conversation
While you are talking with your contacts, make it your goal to establish a genuine connection. This means keeping eye contact with the person who is speaking, asking thoughtful questions, providing non-verbal cues that you are listening (nodding, etc.), and responding to what the person has said. It can be easy during a large event to get distracted
by everything else around you, so concentrate on staying engaged in the conversation.
ADDITIONAL TIP
3 EXITING
a conversation
It is perfectly appropriate to end a conversation and exit gracefully to move on to another contact. Here are some suggestions for closing a conversation:
Sometimes students are intimidated to enter a conversation that is already taking place between two or more people. It
is perfectly appropriate to join them because that is what networking events are about.
Consider one of these conversation starters:
• Have you been to one of these events before?
• What did you think of the speaker?
• (If talking to a panelist or speaker) I really enjoyed your comments about ____. I’m curious about how you got started thinking about this topic.
• I’m Jodi, a first-year MBA student. Pleased to meet you.
• Discuss your environment—the location, crowd, food, etc.
• Stand in the periphery and when acknowledged step in and respond. Just start actively listening.
•
•
•
It’s been a pleasure learning more about you and your organization. Thank you for your time.
– It’s encouraging to hear ...
– It’s very interesting to learn ... – I am impressed by ...
I’d like to follow up to ...
– Learn more about ...
– Send you the article/website on ... – Stay in touch ...
May I ask you for your card?
• Take a moment to write down a few details from your conversation on the back of a contact’s business card as soon as the conversation ends to help you remember important details for your follow-up.
• Always remember that your purpose for being at the event is to network. That means that food and beverages should not be a primary priority. If you do eat, select food that is easy to manage while standing. Hold your beverage in your left hand so your right hand is free to shake hands and greet others. If you do have an alcoholic beverage, limit it to one drink.
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Carlson School of Management