networking on the job

8/3/2019 Networking on the Job

1/23

1

Networking on the Job, in Internships, and Beyond:Growing a Life-Long Supportive Community

The Value of Continuous NetworkingMost people consider networking to be an important activity only when they are looking for a

job or internship. However, in actuality, networking should be seen as a life-long, dailyprocessto engage in whether or not you are looking for a position or not. Indeed, it is a key way tobroaden not only the people in your circle, but also the ideas, organizations, innovation, and

creativity. At its heart,networking involves taking active steps to build positive, productive, andmutually beneficial relationships, primarily through having conversations where information,

knowledge, and assistance are exchanged. In the next several pages, I am going to detail thekey steps that you can take to build your professional network in a number of different arenas.*

Discerning the Best Use of Your Networking EnergyNetworking, when done right, takes a significant amount of time and energy, so you want to

make sure to spend that time and energy well! Identifying your networking style, strengths andgrowth areas will help you to do just that. (Please see Attachment E for a worksheet on assessing

your networking skills.) You want to play to your strengths at the same time as you grow yourrelationship building skills in areas that might not feel natural yet. For example, one personmight be really great at introducing themselves to people at events, which allows them to easily

get the networking ball rolling. However, they may not be so great at following up with contacts.Another person might have a real phobia of the initial steps involved in meeting people, but once

they get into a conversation, they are skilled at asking engaging questions and sharing a brief

synopsis of their professional history.

Additionally, you also need to learn how to identify who is a good networking partner for you.This is a highly personal process; one individual might be a great fit for one person and not a

great fit for someone else. Although the chemistry that grows relationships over the long-term isoften difficult to pinpoint in words, it is a good idea to have a general sense of the kinds ofpeople you tend to click with most. For example, some people get de-energized by people who

take several days to return emails or phone calls. Whatever your particular style, try to stay opento having a diverse group of folks within your network, some playing a larger role than others,

just as your role in other peoples networks is sure to vary. Be clear on what resources you haveto develop relationships and try not to spread yourself to thinhaving fewer, deeper

relationships is often more powerful than more, relatively superficial relationships.

*Please note that all of the material in this packet builds directly off of the InformationalInterviewing section included in your Level 1 materials. There are several worksheets withinthe Level 1 materials including, the Networking List and List of Exciting Organizations,

which might be particularly useful to you.


2/23

2

Preparing to Deepen Your Network While You Are on the Jobs/InternshipNetworking plays a large role in how successful someone is on the job, whether they are in aformal position or an internship. As I discussed in detail in the Professional Etiquette section

of the Level 2 materials, these days, staff roles in just about every workplace are incredibly

intertwined. Without having great relationships with your colleagues, it is much less likely thatyou will be able to make your full impact. Moreover, networking on the job sets you up to

develop relationships that will be in your life long after you leave a particular position; you neverknow how you or the other person may benefit each other in the future!

But exactly how do you get started in growing your network on the job/internship?

1. First, frame all of your interactions as networking. That means viewing networking asincluding everything from saying hello to staff when you arrive in the morning to actively

participating in staff meetings. For most people, this frame represents a significant shiftin thinking because networking is often seen as a process of selling oneself and/or

trying to get something from someone else. In contrast, I have seen repeatedly that it ismuch more beneficial to view networking as a mechanism to grow your community ofmutual assistance, learning, and exchange. In this way, keeping your emphasis on both

how you can best serve your colleagues and how you can learn from them puts you onmore equal footing and sets you up to develop relationships over the long-term.

2. Design a simple and strategic networking plan. Networking on the job/internship canget lost in the shuffle of everything else that you have to do so it is important to be

intentional about it, setting up specific, time-phased goals. In developing networkinggoals, you may want to consider:

Who you would like to target to meet with and when. Even if you work in alarge organization, it is a great idea to try to network in some way, at some point,

with every single staff person as well as with all other interns and volunteers.Indeed, no matter how unrelated their work may seem from yours, you never

know what else you might have in common or how you could add to each otherslives and work now or later. It is a good idea to be strategic about the order ofwhom you meet with because meeting with person x may provide you with

information that you can then build off with person y. And, if you know thatyou only have a few months in an internship, it is important to really hunker down

and begin networking in your first week on the job! Much more information onhow you can do this in up-coming pages.

What networking mechanism(s) you are going to utilize . There are a plethoraof opportunities to network on the job/internship, but some may be better suited to

your networking style. In the next major section I outline many of these.

How you may be able to be of assistance to someone. While you never want tobe intrusive, as I have said before, if there is one secret ingredient to successfulnetworking and relationship building, it is having an attitude of service and


3/23

3

curiosity about the people with whom you work. But often, it takes a while to getto know someone and thus to discern how you might be able to be help them.

Therefore, early in a relationship, it can be useful to ask someone directly howyou might be able to assist them or, at least, let them know that you would love to

be of help, should they need anything in the future. Over the course of a

relationship, if you continue to take a real interest in your colleagues work, youwill pick up on lots of clues about how you may be able to benefit them.

What you would like to learn from and about someone . Your on thejob/internship networking will often be relatively informal. However, just as Iadvised you to come into informational interviews with several well thought out,

formal questions, I am going to strongly encourage you to do the same with yourcolleagues. That way, you will have a hearty list to chose from, when the rightmoment arrives. The precise questions that you ask depend upon your interests,

needs, curiosities, and the context and stage of your relationship. But over thecourse of networking, you might want to consider asking questions on everything

from the details of your colleagues current work to their future career goals aswell as queries about their insights into your own projects and professionaldevelopment. Specific good questions include:

(1)How long have you been in this position?(2)Id love to hear more about your current projectsor What

projects/work are you most excited about now?(3)What is exciting to you about what the organization as a whole is

working on now?(4)Are you working on any interesting collaborations right now or I noticed

you meeting with x last week, Id love to hear more about that

collaboration.(5)X persons current y project sounds so interesting. I would love tohear more about it

(6)Id love to get your thoughts about x: aspect of y project that I amworking on now.

(7)Id love to get your perspective about x aspect of y field(8)Im curious if you have any thoughts about good ways to work toward

x positions in this organizationor in y field or z organization

Additionally, several of the questions that I included in the Level 1 materials may also

prove useful here including:

(9)Im curious about what path educationally and professionally led you toyour current position? With 20/20 hindsight, what might you have donedifferently if you could go back and change the path you took?

(10) Id love to learn more about your longer-term career goals(11) I really love x, y, and z about my work, Id love to learn more

about your favorite parts of your job


4/23

4

(12) Im so excited about x organization right now because of y reason.Id love to hear what organizations and individuals in our field are really

exciting to you at this time?(13)Im wondering if there are any resources (books websites, journals etc..)

that you recommend I check out to learn more about x topic or y

organization.

As you can see from the above questions, when networking on the job/internship, youcan share information about yourself more readily than you might in an informational

interview, where your primary aim is to gather information about a field, position, ororganization. In fact, drawing connections between your interests, goals, and work isa great way to build your relationships on the job.Of course, which questions, you

ask and when you ask them depends on the content and context of your relationshipas well as on how well you know each other; you definitely do not want to come

across as a detective. Instead, tap into your genuine curiosity and look at networkingwith each staff person as something that will take place over the course of time. This

perspective will relieve some of the pressure to get all of your questions answered atonce and allow you to proceed in an organic way. Further, if you have developed anincremental networking plan that takes into account the length of time you will be at

an organization, you will have a good sense of the kind of pacing that will most assistyou in developing relationships. In attachment G, I have included a chart to help youbreakdown your networking goals on the job/internship.

What you would like to share about yourself: Your Elevator Speech. In

addition to drawing links to your own background and expertise, you also want to bestrategic about providing more in-depth insights into your own immediate and longer-term professional goals and interests. The relaying of this kind of information is

sometimes referred to as an Elevator Speech because it should be short and to thepoint-- just enough information to convey as you travel between floors on an

elevator! You might be able to utilize the phone/email script to set up informationalinterviews that I detailed in the Level 1 materials as the starting point for yourElevator Speech. And just as I advised you to customize your phone/email script, I

am going to advise that you customize what you say in your Elevator Speech,depending upon who you are talking to. In fact, you always want to think carefully

about your colleagues background and interests before sharing your own. Yo u maywant to include all or some of the following components in your Elevator Speech:

A statement about what is exciting to you about your current work.Sharing information about what is exciting or energizing you about what

you are doing can really help to build your relationships because mostpeople get excited when they hear someone elses excitement! Further,you never know what ideas or collaborations might emerge from such

sharing. For example, you might say:

I am currently working on a really exciting research project, investigating

the treatment of drug-addicted mothers in the child welfare system. So far, I


5/23

5

have found that eights times out of ten, the courts side with the state against

these moms. It is really disturbing and I feel passionate about coming up

with some clear and simple processes to make the system more fair.

A statement about your background. If your colleague does not have asense of your previous training and professional experience, you shouldgive them a quick sense of that. For example, you might say:

I loved hearing about your work with the Toledo Childrens Fund, I actually

began my career working for three years as a youth advocate in the courts. I

then went back to school and got a law degree with a focus on family law

and prior to coming on board here, I worked for two years as a public

advocate lawyer for drug-addicted mothers who are at risk of losing custody

of their children.

A statement about your longer-term professional goals and interests.At some point during the course of your on the job networking, you wantto offer information about your longer-term interests and goals. You andyour colleague may share an interest or objective or they might know

someone else who shares your goals. In any case, you always want toplant a seed about your future. For example:

Down the road, I am hoping to open up my own advocacy and resource

center for inner city moms at risk for losing custody of their children. My

goal is to provide them with a safe and inspiring place to build their

resources, including job training, college preparation, and parenting skills.

Note that in the above examples, anytime you can relate your own background, work, andinterests to that of your colleagues, you should do so to further build your common

ground and connection! This practice also makes it less likely that your ElevatorSpeech will turn into a lengthy monologue, which is the last thing that you want! In

attachment F, I have included a worksheet to help you develop your Elevator Speech.

Mechanisms to Deepen Your Network on the Job/InternshipLet us say that you have a good networking plan in place with some great questions about yourcolleagues work and background ready to go and a couple of snazzy versions of your Elevator

Speech, what is next? Well, there are many effective ways to implement all of your networkingpreparation such as:

In Your First 1-2 Weeks:

Formal Introductions. It is a terrific idea to formally introduce yourself to as many staffas you can as soon as you begin work. If your organization is large, then be strategic

about who you meet with. Try to include a mix of staff at different levels of theorganization and make an extra effort to meet with staff with whom you will be working

most closely. Ask your colleagues if they have 15-20 minutes to speak so that you can


6/23

6

learn more about their work and how your duties are connected. Before you begin, makesure to check in with your boss to see if they are okay with your plan; most will not have

an issue, especially if you spread your meetings out. If for some reason they do, do notworry, there are plenty of other ways that you can network with staff, which I detail in

up-coming pages.

Formal and Informal Lunches. One of the best ways to get to know your colleaguesand to network is to ask them to lunch either for a formal meal outside of the office or tosimply share a meal at your desks. As I mentioned in earlier Level 2 material, this is a

particularly great networking activity to do when you first begin with an organizationbecause it sends a friendly and professional message that you are looking to get to know

your colleagues. Any of the networking questions detailed earlier in this document maycome in handy at such a lunch, but it is often best to start out by letting your colleaguesknow that you would like to learn more about both their current work and their history

with the organization; these kinds of questions should give you not only a good sense ofthe other persons interests and daily work life, but also start to paint a much more in-

depth picture of the organization as a whole. Note that it is a great idea to continuelunching with staff throughout your stay at an organization.

Throughout Your Entire Tenure:

Periodic Stop and Chats. On the HBO show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry Daviduses the term Stop and Chat to describe what happens when he runs into someone heknows whom he doesntwant to talk to. In sharp contrast, I am using the term to describestopping to talk and exchange pleasantries, quick work updates, and maybe even learn

more about your colleagues professional vision or even share a bit of your elevatorspeech. Stop and Chats often happen when you first see colleagues in the morning or at

the end of the day and they form the backbone of networking in most organizations. Thekey to using them well is being sensitive to the cues about the other persons availability.You never want to get too chatty when someone is in a rush. If you are not sure if

someone is truly available, it can be helpful to ask them if they have a moment to chat.Usually, after a month or so on the job/internship, you will have a sense of who is

available at what times and you will find your own unique Stop and Chat flow.

Additionally, if you are currently doing an internship and you are interested in the

possibility of getting a job within your organization, Stop and Chats are a great wayto let folks know of your interest. Of course you do not want to be pushy, but it is

perfectly appropriate to say something like:

I really love the work that I am doing here and I feel so strongly about the mission. I

would like to learn about any potential opportunities to shift into a formal role after I

complete my internship.

or


7/23

7

I would love to continue contributing my community organizing skills to the organization

and I am wondering if there might be any openings in that area at some point over the

next few months?

These questions are clear, yet not aggressive; you always want to be careful not to apply

pressure to a colleague when asking about the possibility of open positions.

Supervision Meetings. As I discussed in detail in the Managing Your Boss section ofthe Level 2 materials, supervision meetings present an amazing opportunity to build your

relationship with your boss. Not only can you share lots of different Elevator Speeches,but you can also learn more about your own supervisors short and long-term

professional goals and grow a bond that has the potential to last well beyond your tenure.

Staff Meetings. Staff meetings can be a great place to slip in a little networking becausestaff often come prepared to talk about their latest and greatest projects and are in a lessformal mode, which opens up the space for real exchange. Getting to these meetings 5-10

minutes early and planning to stay 5-10 minutes afterwards gives you a little bit of extratime for networking. Before you arrive, reflect on what projects and programs you wouldlike to learn more about and also what information you might want to share about your

own work so that you can more confidently and intentionally direct your conversations.

Staff Retreats. Staff retreats also offer a great opportunity to get to know yourcolleagues better and to build your relationships with a wide variety of staff. In fact, such

events often include ice-breaker like activities to help facilitate this process. Prior to theretreat, I advise gaining clarity about who you would like to target for networking andhow you would like to do so. A note of caution, particularly in nonprofits, staff retreats

sometimes can tread on personal ground, be careful not to over share at such events; if

you do so, you may find later on that you are left feeling a bit awkward.

Meetings with Partner Organizations/Collaborators. Very often, such meetingsprovide the possibility for you and your colleague to talk about common goals and tobrainstorm beforehand as well as to debrief afterwards, all of which can be used as greatjumping-off points for discussion about a wide array of topics related to both of your

current and future professional goals and passions. Further, many such meetings takeplace outside of the office and thus you and your colleagues will likely have a bit of

distance from the immediacy of your work and more freedom and time to get to knoweach other.

Being helpful, whenever you can. As I have not so subtly already discussed (!), alwaysbeing on the lookout for ways to help your colleagues sends a strong message ofcommunity and lays a good foundation to build your relationships. Keeping your eyesand ears open for such opportunities all the time will allow you build your database abouta particular staff persons current projects and work and thus help you to assess how you

can help them. For example, even small gestures such as bringing a colleague who is inthe middle of a huge project their favorite trade journal can go a long way in building

your tie.


8/23

8

Holiday parties. Holiday parties, even more so than staff meetings, usually provide aninformal, light environment for networking. While it is not usually a great idea to bringup the nuts and bolts of your work at such celebratory events, they frequently offer a

good place to informally and mutually share about your longer-term professional interests

and passions as well as to take stock of the organizations accomplishments over thecourse of the year.

Holiday Cards . Holiday cards are a festive and thoughtful way to recognize colleagues.Including a sincere message of thanks or congratulations on work well done adds another,personalized layer to this gesture.

Just Prior to Leaving:

Formal Moving-on Meetings. If at all possible, it is a great idea to try to meetformally with as many colleagues as you can before you finish your internship or job. At

a minimum, I advise meeting with staff with whom you are very interested in continuinga relationship and/or who helped you a good deal. The precise content of your meetingwill vary, depending upon the nature and history of your relationship as well as what you

are going on to do, but in general I recommend that you touch on the following:

(1)A genuine thank you for any assistance and support that they gave you.Think carefully about what you want to say and be as specific as possible.(Please see (6) below for more information on thank you notes.)

(2)A statement letting them know that you would like to keep in touch. Forexample, you might say:

It has been such a pleasure getting to know you and all the great work thatyou are doing. I would love to stay in touch with you after I leave next week!

Before you leave, it is usually a good idea to set a future date to speak. Mostpeople are so busy these days that out of sight can, unfortunately, translate

into out of mind. Setting a date up well in advance makes it that much easierto continue to get to know each other.

(3)A few comments on positive aspects of your experience at theorganization. As I said earlier, passion and positivity are catching so anytimeyou share good news, it is likely to have a good effect on your colleagues!

Further, even if you had a lot of challenges in your position, it is always smart

to share a positive aspect or two as you prepare to leave- in almost all difficultsituations, there is a silver lining, if only that you learned what you do notwant to do next time!

(4)A brief summary of what you are going on to do . If you are going back toschool, you may want to share something about your academic plans that isrelated to the work that you or your colleague have done at the organization. If

you are going to be starting a formal job, give them a bit of information aboutwhat you will be doing in your new position.


9/23

9

(5)A statement inviting future collaboration. While you never want to makeany firm promises about future collaboration until you are sure about an

opportunity, it is always appropriate to let your colleague know that youwould like to collaborate with them again in the future (if you would really

like to).

(6)A statement confirming your interest in another position within theorganization. If you are completing an internship and you have not already

let staff know that you would be very interested in continuing your work withthe organization at some point, you should do so at this point. Sometimes,

people assume that their colleagues know of their interest, but it is much betterto directly and humbly state your interest.

(7)Reference requests. You may want to ask some colleagues for referencesbefore you leave. I advise doing this before your Moving on Meeting as theprimary purpose of that meeting is to thank your colleagues, not to ask them

for something. Note that these days, more references are phone referencesthan written, so it may only be necessary to ask if you can have potential

future employers, fellowship and award committees, and schools call them. Ifat some point a colleague does give you a reference, always be sure to sendthem a formal thank you note.

Thank you notes. Genuine thank you notes always send a professional and upbeatmessage to colleagues. The more personal and thoughtful you can be in your note thebetter.

After You Have Left:It is crucial that you do not assume an out of sight, out of mind perspective after you leave aposition. Instead, view all of your relationships as potentially long-term and put effort into

developing them long after you share the same cubicle!At a minimum, you should be in touchwith your entire network about two times a year, once during the holiday season and one othertime. Continue to use the same frame to guide your networking after you have left a position as I

advised using while you are in a position and consider:

(1) Asking questions about the individuals work, passions, and future career directions.

(2) Seeing how you can be of assistance to them.(3) Sharing aspects of your Elevator Speech.

But before contacting your former colleagues, I recommend asking yourself the followingquestions:

(1)What is your specific purpose in getting in touch at this time? What particularinformation or advice are you seeking from your colleague or to give your colleague?What do you want to share about your own work? Unless you have a very informalrelationship with someone, you do not want to contact them without a specific

purpose.(2)Given your relationship context and history, what is the most appropriate networking

mechanism for you to utilize? Exactly how often and through what mechanisms you


10/23

10

keep in touch with folks depends upon your own communication style as well as therhythm and style that you both established while you were working together. For

example, it may be very appropriate to send periodic emails to some of your network,whereas you might want to pick up the phone more often with others.

Once you have clarified the above, you are ready to move forward with the following:

Periodic Emails: Email is a great way to conduct quick and informal check- ins to findout how your colleagues work is going and also to update them on your own projects

and plans. A caution, with folks in your network with whom you do not have, at least, amoderately close or familiar relationship, be careful not to send them too many emails: it

takes only a few seconds to send an email and so it is easy to send one without havingadequately thought through the real purpose of doing so. And as always, make sure tocheck and double check that your message is conveying a positive message and tone and

that it does so without typos.

Periodic Phone Calls : If you have a more intimate relationship with former colleagues,phone calls are a great way to stay in touch. Do not forget to clarify the purpose of yourcall before making it-- especially when you have a closer relationship with someone, it is

easier to lose focus.

Periodic Event Invitations : It is a great idea to invite former colleagues to events thatyou are involved in that you think would be of interest or benefit to them. Do your best to

give people 3-4 weeks advance notice to increase the likelihood of their attendance.Event invitations are also a great way for you to give your network a very clear sense ofyour own current work as they provide the opportunity for people to see you in action.

Periodic Resource Sharing : Always be on the look out for how you can assist formercolleagues. If you seen an article, book, or website that you think would be of interest tothem, send it their way. Further, if you meet someone who you think could be an

interesting person for them to know, consider connecting them via phone, email, or evenin-person.

Holiday Cards : In addition to being a great networking mechanism while you are on thejob/internship, holiday cards are a terrific way to stay in touch with your network after

you leave a position; just be sure to personalize them, ask how particular projects andprograms are going, and provide a brief update on what you have been up to. If you donot have a holiday card list of, at least, 50 individuals, then you are almost certainly not

including people who should be on your list! Given how active all of you are, I wouldguess that you are more likely to have a list of about 100 folks. Personalizing cards to

such a large group will take a serious investment of time and energy, but it is well worththe effort.

In attachment H, I have provided a chart to assist you in constructing a networking plan withformer colleagues.


11/23

11

Steps to Deepen Your Network with Your Academic CircleAs I mentioned earlier, you should be networking in every arena that you are in, not just at your

job or internship. Do not miss the opportunity to build relationships with all of the people thatyou encounter as you move through college and graduate school such as professors, mentors,

sports and other coaches, Career Services staff, speakers and guest lecturers at campus events,

staff working at any fellowships or awards that you have received, and, of course, fellowstudents. All of the preparation and suggestions for nurturing your network while you are on the

job/internship apply to this realm of networking as well. However, below are two things to payespecially close attention to when networking with your academic circle:

First, develop an academic networking plan, including a customized ElevatorSpeech. It can be relatively easy to forget the importance of developing a more formalstrategy with your academic contacts because the college and graduate schoolenvironment tends to be informal. However, it is a great investment of your effort to

develop a specific relationship building strategy. Please see attachments I and J forworksheets on this.

Arrive 5-10 minutes early and/or stay a few minutes after class and campus events.This approach increases the likelihood that you will get to know your peers, professors,and other colleagues.

A special note on networking with Young People for staff. I want to encourage you to pay

particularly close attention to growing your relationships with Iara, Shaunna, Robert, myself, andany other YP4 staff with whom you are working. All of us are extremely interested in and

committed to your professional development, thus we provide particularly ripe networkingmaterial! Moreover, you have a good deal of time to develop your rapport with each of us.Before you complete your work with Young People For, be sure to:

Set up a formal phone or in-person Moving-on Meeting. As I described earlier,Moving-on Meetings provide a great way to thank your contacts, update them on yournext steps, and set up a time that you will be in touch in the future.

Give us an updated resume. It is highly likely that we will hear of jobs and otheropportunities that might be a great fit for you so be sure to leave us with your most recentversion of a resume.

Networking Beyond Your Job, Internship, or Academic CirclesBut networking does not end with your professional and academic involvements. Indeed,whether attending a baseball game or going to get your hair cut, you should not miss theopportunity to learn more about the people that you encounter and to share a bit about your

background, interests, and goals. You may want to tailor your on the job/internship and academicElevator Speeches for an even wider audience. Do not forget that spending an extra few

minutes getting to know someone can reward you ten times over when they later become a goodfriend, a business contact, or someone whom you can assist in some way!

Networking at EventsNetworking events are such a powerful way of building your community that they merit their

own section. Always be sure to be on the look out for events of interest, but also try to attend a


12/23

12

few events each year, which may be a bit outside of your usual circles because you may discovera new interest and/or just meet some great new folks you never would have met otherwise.

Answering the following questions will increase your clarity about your networking goals forsuch an event:

How many people do you hope to speak with? There are a huge range of networkingstyles, so for some people talking with 5 people at an event is a great goal, but others mayshoot for 20. And while the amount of people you speak with is less important than thequality of the connection, your goal should always include meeting, at least, a couple of

people with whom you can continue your connection after the event.

What kinds of people are you most interested in meeting? In which fields? Doing whatkinds of work?

What topics (organizations, positions, fields, issues, etc) are you interested in learningmore about?

What kind of an elevator speech will you be sharing with people? What do you plan to say to people who you would like to stay in touch with in order to

invite further contact? Is your business card ready to go?

Questions to ask at the event itself that are likely to get conversation flowing include:

What brings you to this event? What organization are you with? What kind of work do you do? What did you think of the keynote speaker? What workshops are you planning on attending? I found x really interesting in the y plenary/workshop, what was your experience?

With some simple networking goals and questions in mind, you are ready to get out there. Belowis an excerpt from a sample conversation at a networking event:

GD: Hi my name is George Davis and I wanted to introduce myself.

JL: Oh, Hi George, Im Jack Laidlaw, which organization are you with?

GD: Actually, I am currently doing an internship with Environmental Action Now, working on

getting a toxics use reduction bill passed, how about yourself?

JL: Im working as a Program Associate with Latinos for Legal Action.

GD: Oh, wow, what kind of work are you doing?

JL: My main focus is to do national outreach that expands the number of Latinos running for

office.


13/23

13

GD: Really?! Id love to hear more about that and how you wound your way into such great

work

JL: Well, after college, I spent four years working as a legislative aide and was so disappointed

to discover the small number of Latinos in Congress. Then, I decided to go back to law school to

try to do something about it! A month before graduating I landed this job and I really love it. Iget to travel the country and hold meetings in a huge range of communities on the resources

needed to get more Latinos into office. So far, we have helped provide key resources including

funding and other campaign support to over 30 candidates and, better yet, 7 have already won!

GD: It is so inspiring to hear how you have followed your vision and the difference that you are

making! Im actually considering going to law school because I want to work on changing

environmental legislation- a huge job since this administration came into office!

JL: Youre not kidding!

GD: Yes, well, I would love to hear about your experience in law school and how you think it has

served you in your career so far?

Etc..

GD: Jack, I would love to stay in touch and hear how your work continues to unfold.

JL: Yeah, I would like that and if youd ever like to speak with someone in environmental law,

please feel free to contact me because I know a few folks doing that kind of work.

GD: That would be terrific, actually, I would love to speak to them some time soon. Thanks so

much! In the meantime, here is my card; do you have one as well? I will send you an email in

the next few weeks to set up a lunch chat.

JL: (Handing George his card) Terrific. Nice to meet you.

GD: You too!

Note that George takes every opportunity he can to learn more about Jack, but also slips in somekey information about his own work, background, and interests: this is exactly the balance thatyou want to strike in all of your networking and, particularly, at events. Further, the whole

interchange above could take place in less than two minutes. While you might not feel synergywith everyone that you meet , it is always worth starting a conversation to test the waters.

Do not forget to follow-up with the people that you meet at events! Generally, it is a good ideato follow-up within a week or two. These days, email is a great way to follow-up, unless you

specifically said that you would phone someone because it makes it quick and easy for the otherperson to respond. Be sure to include the following in your initial follow-up contact:


14/23

14

(1) A friendly greeting(2) A reference to where you met(3) A comment about a connection you shared or something about their work or

background that excites you

(4) A low key invite to lunch or breakfast sometime over the next month(5)

A range of dates and times that you can meet(6) A reference to meeting when and where is most convenient to the other person

(7) A friendly closeBelow is a sample networking event follow-up email from George to Jack:

Hi Jack,

It was really great to meet you at the Idealist Career Fair last week and to learn about the

important work that you are doing with Latinos for Legal Action. I was particularly inspired by

the success you have had in helping to elect seven Latino congressional candidates! I would love

to continue our chat over lunch, are you available on August 12, 14, 15, or 22nd anytime between

12 and 2? I would be very happy to come to your office, or meet you wherever is most convenient

to you.

Looking forward to seeing you sometime soon!

Best,

George

Before heading into a second meeting, be sure to establish some additional networking goals,

clarifying what else you would like to learn about the person as well as what additionalinformation you would like to share about yourself. Some people are better at follow-up thanothers. If for some reason, someone does not respond in about a month, it is appropriate to send a

second, quick email to check in. Of course, if the other person does not respond after a fewattempts, then your energy may be better spent on developing other networking contacts.

Networking HardwareAs I mentioned in the Level 1 material, having good networking hardware sends a professional

and pro-active message. Exactly what you develop, depends upon your personal style and needs,but I recommend the following, at a minimum:

Business Cards : Even when you are doing an internship, it is a great idea to print outsome simple cards with your name and contact information. You never know who youmight meet during the course of your work. Further, giving your colleagues your business

card when you leave, sends the message that you really would like to keep in touch. Andafter receiving someones business card, be sure to jot down a note about where and howyou met them as well as anything else pertinent that you might be able to incorporate into

a more personalized follow-up.

A Tickle Folder: As your network grows, keeping track of your relationships willbecome a larger and larger task so it is important to have a mechanism in place forstaying on top of them. Documents such as the Networking Goal worksheets included


15/23

15

as Attachments G-K may be useful to you in this regard. Additionally, you may want toinvest in a blackberry or utilize a computer program such as Microsoft Outlook to flag

appointments and important meetings.

An Updated Resume: It is crucial to have an updated resume ready to go, in case acontact requests one. I discussed the process of writing stand out resumes in great detailin the Level 1 materials.

An Updated Cover Letter: Although you will need to customize your cover letter forevery position you apply to, the process of writing a cover letter outlining yourexperience and passions for particular kinds of work will help you to clarify your

elevator speech and thus is an important back-up document in your networkinghardware arsenal.

Project/Proposal Summary Sheets: If you have a new program or proposal for whichyou are looking for support, resources, or funding it can be very helpful to have a simple

summary sheet that describes your idea, its potential benefits and impact, and theresources that you need to realize it.

Thank you cards : As I mentioned earlier, sending thank you cards is an important partof successful networking so it is a great idea to always keep a supply of simple yetprofessional cards on hand.


16/23

16

Attachment E: Assessing Your Networking Skills

1. What are your greatest networking strengths? In answering thisquestion, you may want to consider your skill in doing the following:

Introducing yourself to people you do not yet know. Asking engaging questions to learn more about someones professional

background, expertise, and passions.

Sharing a brief synopsis of your own professional background,expertise, and passions.

Assessing and following-up on ways that you can be helpful to yournetwork.

Following-up on networking contacts in the short-term. Following-up on networking contacts in the long-term. Discerning which networking contacts merit your time and energy and

which may not.

2. What aspects of networking would you like to work on? When and howdo you intend to develop these skills?

Skill to Grow How I will grow this skill When I will grow this skill

Example : My ease andeffectiveness in introducing

myself to people at largeevents.

I need to attend more events: Iwill attend 4 events next

semester on topics related toprogressive fundraising and

campus organizing.

Over the course of the nextyear, I will attend 8 such

events.


17/23

17

Attachment F: Developing Your Elevator Speech(es)

1. A statement about what is exciting to you about your current work :

Primary audience:

Potential tweaks for academic, professional, or other audiences:

2. A statement about your background:

Primary audience:


3. A statement about your longer-term professional goals and interests:

Primary audience:



18/23

18

Attachment G:

Networking Goals on the Job/Internship

Name & Position The networking

mechanism(s) I will

use in what timeframe

How I may be able to assist

them

What I would like to

from them

Example : Jennifer Hall,Program Director,

International DisasterRelief, Red Cross

I am going to focuson utilizing Stop

and Chats,supervision, and

discussion beforeand after staffmeetings starting

from day 1 of my 2month internship.

1. Provide contacts inseveral community

based organizations inThailand where I built

relationships last year.2. Share the resource

material I collected

from local Thaiofficials describing

their positive andnegative experiencewith international relief

workers.

1. Her career pacurrent positio

2. What otherorganizations

similar work sexcited about

3. Her recommefor my next psteps given m

hold a job likesome point ov5 years.


19/23

19

Attachment G:

Networking Goals on the Job/Internship

Name & Position The networkingmechanism(s) I will

use in what timeframe

How I may be able to assistthem

What I would like tofrom them


20/23

20

Attachment H:

Networking Goals with Individual from Previous

Jobs/InternshipsName & Position The networking

mechanism(s) I will

use in what time

frame



Example : Jennifer Hall,Program Director,

International DisasterRelief, Red Cross

Quarterly lunchesover the next year.

I am currently helping Jenniferto write a proposal for Thai

Galvanize to develop a formalconnection with an

International Red Cross project

funding training for localdoctors on disaster

management techniques.

I would like to continfrom Jennifers copio

knowledge of internadisaster programming

particularly her skill i

collaborating with locofficials.


21/23

21

Attachment I:

Networking Goals with Individuals from YourAcademic Circles


mechanism(s) I willuse in what time

frame


them


from them


22/23

22

Attachment J:

Networking Goals with Individuals from PreviousAcademic Experiences


mechanism(s) I willuse in what time

frame


them


from them


23/23

Attachment K:

Networking Goals for Individuals outside of Work and

SchoolName & Position The networking

mechanism(s) I will

use in what time

frame

