Hi ,
Two weeks ago, I told you about the man at the HR fair who walked away from me mid-sentence, and the 7 things never to do when networking. I promised you the other half: what to actually do. Here it is.
One thing first. As soon as you say networking, people freeze up. So drop the word. Start a conversation. Think about it as starting conversations; you already know how to do that, and nobody freezes up over a chat about someone's work.
With that in place, you get the 11 things I teach my clients to do.
1. Stay curious about everyone you meet
The man at the fair decided within a minute that I was of no use to him. Do the opposite. The person who cannot help you today may know someone in six months, change jobs, or sit next to a hiring manager at a dinner. You cannot tell from a first conversation who anyone knows. Be curious about all of them; it costs you nothing, and the conversation gets better.
2. Make them feel you are interested
Ask about their work, listen to the answer, and remember it the next time you speak. People forget most of what you said. What stays with them is that they feel like you are interested in them, and very few people leave them with that feeling.
3. If they don't ask, don't pitch