Getting to improve your networking skills would be high on the wish list of most MBA students and B-schools offer a number of opportunities in the form of networking events. However, walking into a room full of strangers could be an intimidating experience for the best of us.
Jen Bower, a Full-time MBA student at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, says having realised that such events were needed for getting to know and connect with business leaders and zero in on post MBA employment opportunities, she decided to adopt a serious approach.
The very first on the ‘to do’ list, she says, is to set a goal. It could range from meeting a number of new people to setting up a meeting with an executive over a cup of coffee. Jen started collecting two business cards at every networking event. If she couldn’t get the cards, she would ask for connecting on LinkedIn. The executives were cooperative to the extent that some have even offered to search for themselves on her phone.
Thirdly, you could also use your close friends. By sharing your networking goals, your skills could be combined to mutual advantage. An extrovert person could chip in too help out a not too fluent talker and boost their confidence.
If there were no networking events, she consciously made an effort to fix at least one coffee chat each week or reach people over on LinkedIn and other forms of social media.
The second point is to find the right people even when you do not know anything about them or the companies. At one networking event, she chose to approach some tables with less traffic. Once the ice is broken through small talk, the representatives were more than happy to tell her about the companies and why she should consider employment opportunities with them.
Thirdly, you could also use your close friends. By sharing your networking goals, your skills could be combined to mutual advantage. An extrovert person could chip in too help out a not too fluent talker and boost their confidence.
Jen says she usually goes to networking events with a friend and chooses to approach another group of two. This would give you enough leeway to have a conversation involving all four persons or just two.
The follow-up is an important aspect of networking. You should at least send a short message to thank the person for their time and willingness to connect, especially after a one-on-one coffee meeting. However, you need not do it with every single connection especially if no offer to help you connect with others or job opportunities came up during the meeting.
Opportunities could also come from unlikely persons. Jen once met a woman with an amazing background, role, and network who was about to retire. At that time, she had doubts if this person would be of much help. But the woman introduced her to several valuable connections in Vancouver and was still willing to help me even after retiring. It would also be worthwhile to offer them help in times of need.
You should be pitch perfect at networking events and online connections. Marshall your thoughts and practice your pitch ahead of time. Even when you do not know exactly what you want, let them know about your interests and passions which could lead to new and interesting possibilities.
In terms of online networking, she usually asks local persons for a coffee. If the person has a connection she wants to meet, she identifies the person and the reason for seeking the meeting.