Polishing my networking skills

The word networking alone was enough to make me cringe a while ago. I thought networking was all about putting myself out there when, actually, compared to other people I didn’t really have that much to offer them.

It’s safe to say that my networking was ‘not working’ at all!

My perceptions were flawed to say the least. Since then, I’ve learnt that networking doesn’t have to be such a hard task. The bottom line is it doesn’t have to be forced; all you really need is the curiosity to learn about what people do and it should come naturally. It doesn’t just have to be you taking things from people since you also have something to give to them. If you think about it, you’d be surprised that a connection with you has a lot to offer.

If you’re an undergraduate student, for example, your bargaining power is that you have what organisations need in their work force: young, fresh talent who can learn at a high level! So these past few weeks, I have had the chance to do some *gasp* real networking…

One of the events I went to was organised by the Civil Service. It was with fellow university students from all over the country who were taking part in their internship programme. It was initially daunting at first. Countless worries flooded my thoughts as soon as I entered the room. How do I approach a closely huddled group of people I’ve never met in my whole entire life? What if they ignore me because I don’t actually have anything exciting to say?

Yikes… Where to begin in a crowd like this? Safe to say that the lunch and coffee helped tremendously!

Now that I think about it, most of the people in the room were on the same boat as me. It really does help to keep in mind that everyone worries about these things too!

The most effective way I overcame these fears was by simply throwing myself out there with a welcoming smile and a simple “Hi, how are you finding it?” I found that this question invited a comfortable response as opposed to starting with a hasty declaration of who I am.

I have to admit that I did practice introducing myself a few times. Your introduction is like a selling point, if I have to be honest. Like an ‘elevator pitch’, it can’t be too long but needs to be short enough for you to open up the conversation and invite a reply. A good conversation tends to have a balance between the amount you talk and the other person talking.

I also read somewhere that body language is crucial to getting people to warm up to you. I tried to maintain an open posture (not arms crossed or looking down!) and a smile. You can pretty much go anywhere from there; for example, by asking them what university they go to, what course they do, and why they were at the event itself. The key thing here is to be open both with the types of questions you ask (asking questions that start with how, what or why) and your body language.

Key speakers in these events include Sir Jeremy Heywood, Head of the Civil Service (pictured above), former footballer Fabrice Muamba, university graduates now working for the organisation, and TV journalist Clive Myrie. 

One thing I wish I had done was a bit of research on keynote speakers at the events. These speakers are likely to take questions after their speech and it’s a good idea to know a little bit about their work. Most of them even stay a while to chat to people. The more you know about them, the more you feel prepared to go up to them and actually ask about what they do.

Students I’ve met at the Summer Diversity Internship Programme 2015

Another important thing about networking is to follow up. Normally this means sending them an ‘it-was-great-to-meet-you’ email but this isn’t always necessary. LinkedIn is perfect for setting up formal business connections on social media – it is a platform that is professional enough for you to re-connect with them after unlike other sites that may be too personal.

Don't forget that the Universrity of Southampton's Employability Service can help too, giving advice on interviews, networking and more!

I know the word ‘networking’ can sound daunting but, when you really think about it, it really is just talking to people. There are some things that the most intelligent search engines can’t answer for you. Sometimes human contact is the best way to find things out.

Rylyn