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

The Value of Continuous Networking

Most 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, daily process to engage in whether or not you are looking for a position or not. Indeed, it is a key way to broaden 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, and mutually beneficial relationships, primarily through having conversations where information, knowledge, and assistance are exchanged. In the next several pages, I am going to detail the key steps that you can take to build your professional network in a number of different arenas.*

Discerning the Best Use of Your Networking Energy

Networking, 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 and growth 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 your relationship building skills in areas that might not feel natural yet. For example, one person might 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 is often difficult to pinpoint in words, it is a good idea to have a general sense of the kinds of people 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 open to 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 have to 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 Informational Interviewing section included in your Level 1 materials. There are several worksheets within the Level 1 materials including, the Networking List and List of Exciting Organizations, which might be particularly useful to you.

Preparing to Deepen Your Network While You Are on the Jobs/Internship

Networking plays a large role in how successful someone is on the job, whether they are in a formal 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 that you 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 never know 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 as including 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 shift in 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 is much more beneficial to view networking as a mechanism to grow your community of mutual 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 on more 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 can get 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 networking goals, you may want to consider: Who you would like to target to meet with and when. Even if you work in a large 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 others lives and work now or later. It is a good idea to be strategic about the order of whom 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 that you 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 on how you can do this in up-coming pages. What networking mechanism(s) you are going to utilize . There are a plethora of 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 to be intrusive, as I have said before, if there is one secret ingredient to successful networking and relationship building, it is having an attitude of service and

curiosity about the people with whom you work. But often, it takes a while to get to 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 how you 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, you will 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 the job/internship networking will often be relatively informal. However, just as I advised 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 your colleagues. That way, you will have a hearty list to chose from, when the right moment arrives. The precise questions that you ask depend upon your interests, needs, curiosities, and the context and stage of your relationship. But over the course of networking, you might want to consider asking questions on everything from the details of your colleagues current work to their future career goals as well as queries about their insights into your own projects and professional development. 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 to hear more about it (6) Id love to get your thoughts about x: aspect of y project that I am working 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 to your current position? With 20/20 hindsight, what might you have done differently 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

(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, you can 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, or organization. In fact, drawing connections between your interests, goals, and work is a 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 relationship as 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 networking with 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 at once and allow you to proceed in an organic way. Further, if you have developed an incremental 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 assist you in developing relationships. In attachment G, I have included a chart to help you breakdown 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 be strategic about providing more in-depth insights into your own immediate and longerterm 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 the point-- 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 informational interviews that I detailed in the Level 1 materials as the starting point for your Elevator 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 may want 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 he lp to build your relationships because most people 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

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 a sense of your previous training and professional experience, you should give 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 want to offer information about your longer-term interests and goals. You and your colleague may share an interest or objective or they might know someone else who shares your goals. In any case, you always want to plant 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, and interests 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 Elevator Speech 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/Internship

Let us say that you have a good networking plan in place with some great questions about your colleagues 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 networking preparation such as:

In Your First 1-2 Weeks:

Formal Introductions. It is a terrific idea to formally introduce yourself to as many staff as 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 the organization 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

learn more about their work and how your duties are connected. Before you begin, make sure 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 not worry, 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 colleagues and to network is to ask them to lunch either for a formal meal outside of the office or to simply 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 organization because 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 may come in handy at such a lunch, but it is often best to start out by letting your colleagues know 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 of the other persons interests and daily work life, but also start to paint a much more indepth picture of the organization as a whole. Note that it is a great idea to continue lunching with staff throughout your stay at an organization.

Throughout Your Entire Tenure:

Periodic Stop and Chats. On the HBO show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David uses the term Stop and Chat to describe what happens when he runs into someone he knows whom he doesnt want to talk to. In sharp contrast, I am using the term to describe stopping 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 elevator speech. 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. The key 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 way to let folks know of your interest. Of course you do not want to be pushy, but it is perfectly appropriate to say some thing 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

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 of the 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 because staff often come prepared to talk about their latest and greatest projects and are in a less formal 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 extra time for networking. Before you arrive, reflect on what projects and programs you would like 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 your colleagues 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 the retreat, I advise gaining clarity about who you would like to target for networking and how 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 meetings provide the possibility for you and your colleague to talk about common goals and to brainstorm beforehand as well as to debrief afterwards, all of which can be used as great jumping-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 take place 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 know each other. Being helpful, whenever you can. As I have not so subtly already discussed (!), always being on the lookout for ways to help your colleagues sends a strong message of community and lays a good foundation to build your relationships. Keeping your eyes and ears open for such opportunities all the time will allow you build your database about a 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 in the middle of a huge project their favorite trade journal can go a long way in building your tie.

Holiday parties. Holiday parties, even more so than staff meetings, usually provide an informal, light environment for networking. While it is not usually a great idea to bring up 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 the course 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 meet formally 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 continuing a relationship and/or who helped you a good deal. The precise content of your meeting will 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. For example, you might say: It has been such a pleasure getting to know you and all the great work that you 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. Most people 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 easier to continue to get to know each other. (3) A few comments on positive aspects of your experience at the organization. As I said earlier, passion and positivity are catching so anytime you 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 difficult situations, there is a silver lining, if only that you learned what you do not want to do next time! (4) A brief summary of what you are going on to do. If you are going back to school, you may want to share something about your academic plans that is related 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 about what you will be doing in your new position.

(5) A statement inviting future collaboration. While you never want to make any firm promises about future collaboration until you are sure about an opportunity, it is always appropriate to let your colleague know that you would 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 the organization. If you are completing an internship and you have not already let staff know that you would be very interested in continuing your work with the 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 better to directly and humbly state your interest. (7) Reference requests. You may want to ask some colleagues for references before you leave. I advise doing this before your Moving on Meeting as the primary purpose of that meeting is to thank your colleagues, not to ask them for something. Note that these days, more references are phone references than written, so it may only be necessary to ask if you can have potential future employers, fellowship and award committees, and schools call them. If at some point a colleague does give you a reference, always be sure to send them a formal thank you note. Thank you notes. Genuine thank you notes always send a professional and upbeat message to colleagues. The more personal and thoughtful you can be in your note the better.

After You Have Left:

It is crucial that you do not assume an out of sight, out of mind perspective after you leave a position. 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 touch with your entire network about two times a year, once during the holiday season and one other time. 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 following questions: (1) What is your specific purpose in getting in touch at this time? What particular information 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 informal relationship 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

keep in touch with folks depends upon your own communication style as well as the rhythm 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 find out 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, a moderately 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 having adequately thought through the real purpose of doing so. And as always, make sure to check 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 your call 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 that you 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 of your 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 former
colleagues. If you seen an article, book, or website that you think would be of interest to them, 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 even in-person. Holiday Cards : In addition to being a great networking mechanism while you are on the job/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 and programs are going, and provide a brief update on what you have been up to. If you do not 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 would guess 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 worth the effort.

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

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Steps to Deepen Your Network with Your Academic Circle

As 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 that you 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, fellow students. 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 pay especially close attention to when ne tworking with your academic circle: First, develop an academic networking plan, including a customized Elevator Speech. It can be relatively easy to forget the importance of developing a more formal strategy with your academic contacts because the college and graduate school environment 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 for worksheets 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, and any 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 networking material! 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 your next 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 other opportunities that might be a great fit for you so be sure to leave us with your most recent version of a resume.

Networking Beyond Your Job, Internship, or Academic Circles

But 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 the opportunity 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 academic Elevator 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 good friend, a business contact, or someone whom you can assist in some way!

Networking at Events
Networking 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 11

few events each year, which may be a bit outside of your usual circles because you may discover a 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 for such an event: How many people do you hope to speak with? There are a huge range of networking styles, so for some people talking with 5 people at an event is a great goal, but others may shoot for 20. And while the amount of people you speak with is less important than the quality 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 what kinds of work? What topics (organizations, positions, fields, issues, etc) are you interested in learning more 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. Below is 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.

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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. I get 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 some key information about his own work, background, and interests: this is exactly the balance that you 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 synergy with 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 idea to 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 other person to respond. Be sure to include the following in your initial follow-up contact:

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(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 close Below 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 additional information you would like to share about yourself. Some people are better at follow- up than others. 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 few attempts, then your energy may be better spent on developing other networking contacts.

Networking Hardware
As 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 out some simple cards with your name and contact information. You never know who you might 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. And after receiving someones business card, be sure to jot down a note about where and how you 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 will become a larger and larger task so it is important to have a mechanism in place for staying on top of them. Documents such as the Networking Goal worksheets included

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as Attachments G-K may be useful to you in this regard. Additionally, you may want to invest 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 a contact requests one. I discussed the process of writing stand out resumes in great detail in the Level 1 materials. An Updated Cover Letter: Although you will need to customize your cover letter for every position you apply to, the process of writing a cover letter outlining your experience 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 networking hardware arsenal. Project/Proposal Summary Sheets: If you have a new program or proposal for which you 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 the resources that you need to realize it. Thank you cards : As I mentioned earlier, sending thank you cards is an important part of successful networking so it is a great idea to always keep a supply of simple yet professional cards on hand.

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Attachment E: Assessing Your Networking Skills

1. What are your greatest networking strengths? In answering this question, 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 your network. 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 how

do you intend to develop these skills?

Skill to Grow Example : My ease and effectiveness in introducing myself to people at large events. How I will grow this skill I need to attend more events: I will attend 4 events next semester on topics related to progressive fundraising and campus organizing. When I will grow this skill Over the course of the next year, I will attend 8 such events.

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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: Potential tweaks for academic, professional, or other audiences:

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

Primary audience: Potential tweaks for academic, professional, or other audiences:

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Attachment G: Networking Goals on the Job/Internship

Name & Position The networking mechanism(s) I will use in what time frame Example : Jennifer Hall, I am going to focus Program Director, on utilizing Stop International Disaster and Chats, Relief, Red Cross supervision, and discussion before and after staff meetings starting from day 1 of my 2 month internship. How I may be able to assist them What I would like to learn from them

1. Provide contacts in several community based organizations in Thailand where I built relationships last year. 2. Share the resource material I collected from local Thai officials describing their positive and negative experience with international relief workers.

1. Her career path to her current position. 2. What other organizations doing similar work she is excited about. 3. Her recommendations for my next profession steps given my goal to hold a job like hers at some point over the n 5 years.

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Attachment G: Networking Goals on the Job/Internship

Name & Position The networking mechanism(s) I will use in what time frame How I may be able to assist them What I would like to learn from them

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Attachment H: Networking Goals with Individual from Previous Jobs/Internships

Name & Position The networking mechanism(s) I will use in what time frame Example : Jennifer Hall, Quarterly lunches Program Director, over the next year. International Disaster Relief, Red Cross How I may be able to assist them What I would like to learn from them

I am currently helping Jennifer to write a proposal for Thai Galvanize to develop a formal connection with an International Red Cross project funding training for local doctors on disaster management techniques.

I would like to continue to lea from Jennifers copious knowledge of international disaster programming, particularly her skill in collaborating with local officials.

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Attachment I: Networking Goals with Individuals from Your Academic Circles

Name & Position The networking mechanism(s) I will use in what time frame How I may be able to assist them What I would like to learn from them

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Attachment J: Networking Goals with Individuals from Previous Academic Experiences

Name & Position The networking mechanism(s) I will use in what time frame How I may be able to assist them What I would like to learn from them

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Attachment K: Networking Goals for Individuals outside of Work and School

Name & Position The networking mechanism(s) I will use in what time frame How I may be able to assist them What I would like to learn from them

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