Your network has the power to influence your career. Who you know, and how well you know them, can make or break your career plans. Catch these tips on networking for career success.
Learn from Ali Kriegsman, Co-founder and COO of Bulletin and author of How to Build a Goddamn Empire (out April 6, 2021), who led a candid session on networking your way to success and how to turn your community into your greatest asset. Discover email outreach techniques that spark joy and don’t annoy, how to find potential industry contacts, and how to turn soft acquaintances into fierce advocates for your professional journey.
Main Takeaways on Networking:
- Networking is the same as sales. You can build a plan, measure, and optimize just like you would a sales funnel. Networking doesn’t have to be aimless and stressful: think, nurture, plan, and execute.
- Understand what you want to accomplish in your networking, what your ask is, what’s standing in your way, what success looks like, and why you want to build your network. Then, create measurable goals for the next 30, 60, and 90 days.
- How to do effective cold outreach:
- Target the right people
- Use social media platforms or email
- Know what you’re asking for
- Make it easy, casual, and offer options
- Hype yourself up
- Respect people’s boundaries, think logically, and put yourself in their shoes.
- Pursue connections over transactions. Connect with people that inspire you and that can help you reach your goals. Give informal updates and say thank you to those who have helped you.
- Networking is a long game. Don’t expect your whole network to be built in a day—this requires patience.
Top Q&A:
- What are a few immediate turn-offs in a reach-out message or request for coffee?
- It’s a turn-off when there’s no ask. If someone asks to “pick my brain” and they haven’t given me a sense of who they are, what their values and goals are, and what they want to accomplish in the conversation, it almost feels like free labor rather than helping someone reach their goals. I want to know what your goals are and what you want to learn from me. It’s also a turn-off when people don’t offer different options upfront. If you ask for a meeting over coffee, also offer the option of answering a question over email. If you’re getting coffee, meet at a cafe most convenient for them—always make the process seamless and easy for the person helping you.
- How important is the subject line in a cold outreach email?
- It’s really important. A few great examples are: “Really inspired by you, would love to connect” and “Loved your blog post, would love to connect.” When you include flattery and personalize the subject line, people are more likely to open it.
- How do I face my monsters and move my plan forward?
- First, know what your monsters are. It took me a lot of introspection to be able to do the networking I do. Figure out what it is that is keeping you from meeting your goals. For example, is it insecurity, imposter syndrome, fear of rejection, or something else? You could hire a career coach for a few weeks or sign up for courses to work on getting over those problems. Find the root of the anxiety so you can put your plan into action and meet your goals.
Last modified on June 23, 2021
