Networking is the process by which you gather and exchange information with contacts who can help you focus your career planning and develop a network to uncover the hidden job market. While it is not a readily available source of jobs, the relationships you develop may lead you to a connection that becomes a job. Here are some examples of networking.
Informational interviews are a more formal process of networking by which you identify people in fields of interest, ask if they’d be willing to talk with you, and arrange a time in which you interview them about their career and job. You ask most of the questions and gain insights into their career field and your own job search.
What information are you looking for? Determine for yourself whether you are interested in obtaining information and advice on career fields or if you are looking to develop a career network to assist in your job searching.
Relatives, friends, parents of friends, neighbors, members of civic or social organizations in which you participate, current supervisors, professors, co-workers, guest lecturers, etc.
UVM Connect - UVM's network exclusive to grads, students and parents. Search alums who have offered to connect, advise, and mentor other UVM'ers.
UVM Career Connection on LinkedIn, a group that gathers members of the UVM community and its friends around issues of career development. Alumni, students and friends of UVM interested in professional networking, offering career advice or sharing employment opportunities are invited to join.
Research your networking contacts' companies and fields. Most of your contacts will be more friendly and helpful if they recognize that you have made some effort to understand their organization/position prior to contacting them. Try not to waste their time by asking questions that you could have easily researched before your meeting.
Identify 5-10 questions that will solicit information useful to you. Check out the following link for a list of sample questions; edit these to meet your needs. Sample networking and informational interviewing questions.
You will only have a limited amount of time, so prioritize which questions to ask.
Your first interaction with potential contacts should always be to introduce yourself and ask if they have time to speak with you. From that point, your goal is to establish a relationship and ask for information, not a job. You can reach out to your contacts in several ways. Review these sample emails, LinkedIn message, and phone conversations.
Pay attention to proper etiquette, grammar, spelling, and punctuation in your e-mail — it is a formal business correspondence. Do not use informal language or slang.
Use a professional subject line such as, "UVM Networking Request"
Address your contacts by appropriate titles such as "Ms.", "Mr.", and "Dr." or first and last name.
Close your email with a professional closing such as "Sincerely," "Regards," or "Best," followed by your name.
Do not send mass emails. Send a unique and separate email to each of your contacts. You’ll be more likely to get responses.
LinkedIn: Use LinkedIn as a way to research career paths, organizations, and reach out to individuals you would like to network with. Here are ways to maximize LinkedIn to identify potential connections and reach out.
Learn from Alumni Career Insights: From any institution's LinkedIn page, you can learn about the career paths of its alums with the Alumni Career Insights Tool. Search UVM’ers by location, company or organization, industry, course of study, and degrees of connection. Alumni profiles that fit your search criteria will appear below the serach options. The tool is also searchable by keyword. So if you want to know about a specific company, you can quickly find current and past alum employees.
Join Groups LinkedIn groups are a great way to identify individuals that you have a shared professional interest with or who are alumni from your institution. Be sure to join the UVM groups University of Vermont Career Connection and the UVM Alumni Association.
Send a Message to a Group Member: Group members can message one another without being connected on LinkedIn. From a group's page, access the list of group members by clicking number of members.
Request a Connection: When requesting a connection, always remove the default invite text. Include a personal note that indicates your reason for connecting and gratitude for any assistance that person can offer. If you are hoping for an informational interview, follow up with a longer message on that once you are connected. Be brief as LinkedIn limits the characters in the personal notes before connections are made. If you share a group with your potential connection, consider sending a message through the group page as it will allow you to write a longer message.
If you’ve followed all the steps above, you should be prepared to set the tone of your interview and ask most of the questions.
If you are serious about the organization and the field of your contact person, you may want to bring a polished resume to the interview.
What you do after an informational interview can be as important as the meeting itself. Thanking and following up with your contacts is essential to maintaining a meaningful relationship.
Thank your contacts: Send a thank-you note within a day or two of your meeting/informational interview. Making the extra effort to write or e-mail a note will help you stand out in the person’s memory.
Be organized: Keep an orderly list of your contacts and conversations.
Keep your contacts informed of your progress: If somebody referred you to another contact that was particularly helpful, write to the original person and let them know.
Remember that networking is a mutually beneficial process: If you come upon a resource that you think one of your contacts would appreciate, pass it along to him or her.