A graduate’s network can substantially influence career opportunities during and after university. By connecting with industry professionals, you can also gain valuable skills, connections, and advice. It is therefore important to have the skills to make the most out for a networking event. This article will provide tips to keep in mind before, during, and after you attend a networking event.

Before the Event

Consider your objectives

Consider why you are going to the event and what you wish to get out of it. This will allow you to manage your time effectively during the event. This also includes determining whether there is a specific individual or individuals that you want to prioritise meeting. 

Plan your elevator pitch

Have a short statement prepared that sums up who you are and what you do. This can include your name, what you are studying, and what career you wish to pursue in the future. It may also include information on what drew you to the event and what encouraged you to attend. This can help the professional understand you better and what you may be looking for from the relationship. This pitch should sound natural and not over-rehearsed. 

Prepare Questions

It can be difficult to start or maintain a conversation so it is worthwhile having some questions prepared. These do not have to be specific to the individual, but open ended questions that are relevant to everyone. Some examples include:

• Where are you from?
• What university did you attend?
• What did you study?
• What do you do for a living?

Do Research

If you are attending a networking event, it is worthwhile taking some time before the event to conduct some research into the industry professionals you are expecting to meet. At these events, there are typically many attendants so doing some research can give you an idea of who you are most interested in talking to. It can also allow you to place a face to a name before the event so that you can step into the event knowing what to expect. You can also use this information, specifically any publicly available work email addresses, to connect to the professionals after the event. 

During the Event

Arrival

Arrive at the event on time. If this is an event where participation or attendance is recorded or noticed, being punctual is necessary to make a first good impression. Otherwise, arriving on time can allow you to chat with the guests when there is still low attendance, allowing you a longer conversation.

Move around the room

It is important that you move around the room and mix and mingle with other professionals and attendants. While you may have a good conversation with one person, this should not stop you from trying your luck with others. The more people you can connect with the better!

Listen

Ensure that you show genuine interest when the professional is talking as this will show that you care about what they have to say. Engage in active listening. This means maintaining eye contact, nodding, and understanding the meaning and intent behind the speaker’s words.

Be Polite

While networking, the first step is to always be polite. For seasoned professionals to take an interest in you and your career, they need to know that you are a person with a positive attitude and considerate personality. It is human nature to be wary of people with negative attitudes, so being impolite will immediately kill any chance of building a connection with an individual. You have to be the kind of person that other professionals wish to know and to be associated with. Impoliteness often inadvertently occurs when a graduate is nervous and attempts to act overly confident to compensate. The best approach is to always be yourself. 

Find Something in Common

It can be difficult to start a conversation or keep a conversation moving when talking to someone new. It is helpful to find something in common to establish a connection with the professional. Having knowledge of a professional’s career and achievements from research can assist you when starting up a conversation. It can also allow you to express any similar interests or aspirations that you may have, creating a more natural flow of conversation and increasing the chances of maintaining this connection after the event. You can also choose to ask professionals information about their background, including where they are from, what university they went to, and what they studied. You can also ask questions about their work or experience to continue the conversation and maintain a connection.

After the event

Follow Up

To maintain a connection with a professional that you have met at an event, you need to follow up. Otherwise, the professional will likely forget about meeting you and nothing will come out of the exchange. 

You can follow up with a professional by either asking for a business card or their contact information when talking to them, or you connect with them on LinkedIn. You should send an email within a few days of the event. This email can include a brief statement where you express that you enjoyed meeting them. You can also choose to mention some points that you discussed with them so that they can remember the conversation readily. Do not demand an opportunity from the professional when contacting them. You may ask for advice, but this request should be quick and easy. The professional is not obligated to help further your career. Avoid appearing overly pushy in the requests that you make. This can burn bridges as opposed to building them.

Practice Patience

Sometimes networking pans out and incurs wonderful results and sometimes it doesn’t! It is important to accept that not every professional you meet will result in a professional connection and not every professional will be interested in helping further your career. Nonetheless, you never know when some opportunity will find you because of your networking. All you can do is try.