Networking Tips for New College Grads – Part 1
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. You know? Get-It-Done Guy has six must-have tips to get you started on building your professional network.
IN THIS ARTICLE YOU’LL DISCOVER
- Why meritocracy is a lie
- The reason networks are stronger than plans
- Six quick-and-dirty ways to up your networking game right now
Let’s talk about networking for new college grads, and everyone else, too. This is part one of a two-part series. We’ll talk about why networking is important and then move on to how to network like a pro.
But first, you’ve graduated—congratulations! That means you know all the things. For many years, you’ve reviewed syllabus after syllabus, delved into subject areas, gathered facts, run labs, and sweated through final exams. You worked hard and got the promised reward, a college degree.
I have nothing but deep respect and admiration for you and everything you’ve done. So much respect, in fact, that I’m going to tell you what I wish I had been able to tell myself at your age: Now, everything changes.
Why Networking Is Important for New College Grads
Meritocracy is a lie
When you depart college and head into the big world, you’ll realize that no one cares whether you get the right answer. In the work world, you’ll often be measured based on stuff like hours, and whether you wear the right clothes, and whether you come in between 8:05 and 8:45 and appear to be working hard enough.Â
As for your promotions, they may be based on your achievements. If you’re clearly an expert, people sometimes notice. But if they like you, people always notice. And the people who evaluate you will rarely have been trained to evaluate someone else’s work. What they’ll do instead is simply rationalize how they feel about you and that becomes your evaluation.
If you’re clearly an expert, people sometimes notice. But if they like you, people always notice.
What you really learned in school is how to do good enough work to be a useful cog. You learned how to take outside direction, accept evaluation humbly, and feel good when you perform the tasks you’re given.
Welcome to real life.Â
Networks are stronger than plans
In a 2017 LinkedIn survey, nearly 80 percent of professionals considered networking essential to career success. Fortunately, if you know this going in—and now you do—you can start concentrating on the skills that actually help you get ahead in life. The most important is building and maintaining relationships. In other words, networking.Â
Imagine you’re standing on one side of a chasm. That where you’re at now. On the far side of the chasm is the Life You Want, whatever that may be. What you need is a a bridge—something to get you across the chasm. The bridge would show you where to step next to make progress. Take enough steps and you’ll make it across. Up until now, your next steps have been pretty well mapped out. But the bridge forward after college is less stable. Unfortunately, if a plank or two comes loose, you’ll never make it to the other side. Bridges can be fragile.
Now imagine a net stretched across the chasm. You can walk across on the net. You’ll bounce. If you fall down, you might bounce backwards and lose ground, but you won’t fall. You can’t know in advance the path you’ll take, but if strands of the net break here and there, it’s no big deal. You just shift to a more stable path.
That’s a net. That’s how life works from here on out. The strands are relationships, and they’re a much more robust way to run your life. Bridges can break; nets are more resiliant.Â
6 Networking Tips for New College Grads
#1 – Be Proactive
One of the nice things about life until graduation is that pre-determined schedules drive your life. You can participate (or not) in the opportunities that come your way, but opportunities do come your way.
Once you graduate, you can’t just sit back and wait for opportunity. You need to be proactive and drive the process. Opportunity rarely just shows up at your doorstep.
An easy place to be proactive as a recent grad looking for a job is to start building your network. Now. That means making new friends.Â
The best way to kick off a relationship is with a shared interest. The industry you want to work in, companies you want to work for, or the kind of job you want to do all represent an interest you share with others to build a relationship. You can find like-minded people at conferences, company informational sessions, or industry gatherings. Go to these events, meet people who share your passion, and make connections. Which brings us to tip number three.
#3 – Ask for contact information
Conferences are my favorite places to meet people, because everyone attending has something in common—you’re interested in the same industry or skill. This weekend I went to a presentation on “Ranked Choice Voting.” It’s a better voting system than the most-votes-wins system we currently use. Everyone there cared about making democracy work better.Â
Talk started with voting. By the time we were done, we’d discussed monetary policy, health care, governance, and communication. Because we had so much in common, it was natural to exchange contact information. Boom! I had new people in my network.
Conferences are my favorite places to meet people, because everyone attending has something in common—you’re interested in the same industry or skill.
In order to build relationships, you have to see someone more than once. So, ask for contact information. This can be scary, especially if you’re shy, but it’s really easy.Â
Just say, “I’ve really enjoyed our conversation and would like to stay in touch. Would you like to sharing contact information?”
If they say no (which rarely happens), just say “I understand. Thank you for an enjoyable time” and move on.
If they say yes, exchange business cards.
#4 – Use business cards
Yes, business cards. We may live in the age of LinkedIn, but a business card makes an impression. If you’re an employee, you can just use your company’s standard business card format. But if you’re self-employed, consider spending the money to get something distinctive. People notice. Sometimes, they’ll even comment on how memorable your card is.
If the person you’ve met is someone you want to connect with, make it as easy for them as possible.
For a job interview, always have a physical business card. Never tell someone to “look you up online.” That puts the onus on them to stay in touch. If the person you’ve met is someone you want to connect with, make it as easy for them as possible.
#5 – Make your business card useful
A business card is something your new contacts will find again later that will remind them of you. If you can find a way to make your card useful, that gives them an excuse to keep it in front of them.
On the back of my card for Get-it-Done Groups (GDGs) there’s space to write your top 3 priorities. Two lines of instruction say “Write your top 3 priorities and keep this in front of you all day. Do what’s important, not just what’s in front of you.”
People comment on this all the time. Even if they don’t intend to use it, the conversation makes it—and me—more memorable.
#6 – Build memory hooks for them
You and I know that you won’t need their card to remember them by. They were fascinating. They had amazing things to say. You have a perfect memory.
But just in case you’re kidnapped by aliens who replace your memories with the script to your favorite episode of Game of Thrones …
When someone gives you their card, jot down on the back what you had in common as well as something to help you remember them. Grab your phone and snap a picture of their card. That way, if you lose the card, you won’t lose contact.
Pro tip: Jot notes by hand, not on your smartphone. When you’re face-to-face, making a note on someone’s card is quick and easy. You can keep your attention on them and on your interaction.
Do these things and you’ll be off to a good start. You’re playing a new game—the game of relationships. Your network is your fortune, you have to built it, and now’s the time to start. Go to conferences and presentations to meet like-minded people. Ask for their contact information and give yourself memory hooks to help you remember them. Give them a memorable business cards to remember you by; don’t rely on their memory.
In part 2, we’ll dive directly into several other tactics you can use to start building your network.
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If you’re graduating, or you know someone who is, there is a great graduation present that you can enter to win right now. Quick and Dirty Tips is running an exclusive sweepstakes to win an amazing book bundle. It includes books like Jamie Oliver’s cookbook 5 Ingredients, and 50 Rules Kids Won’t Learn in School by Charles J. Sykes. Just think of it as a starter pack for life after college. Enter for your chance to win here. Good luck!
Work less, do more, and have a great life!