14.3: How to Build Your Network

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Understand why it’s critical to build your network every day, whenever possible.
2. Learn how to focus your energies on building a network that will be effective throughout your college career and beyond.
3. Learn strategies for initiating great conversations at networking events, even if you are shy.

Building Your Network: The Real Secret to Career Success

Great networkers don’t wait for opportunities—they create them. They stay connected, nurture relationships, and consistently build new ones. Yes, networking takes effort, but the payoff is huge: internships, mentors, job leads, insider insights, and a community of supporters.

The most important principle? Be genuine. People can sense when someone is only interested in what they can get. Authentic curiosity leads to long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships.

A simple way to understand your networking relationships is to think about them in four quadrants:, consider the following exercise:

Quadrant I High Willingness to Help Low Relevance to Job Search	Quadrant II High Willingness to Help High Relevance to Job Search
Quadrant III Low Willingness to Help Low Relevance to Job Search	Quadrant IV Low Willingness to Help High Relevance to Job Search

Notice that the horizontal axis is relevance to job search. As you go from left to right, the relevance to your job search becomes stronger. Willingness to help is on the vertical axis; as you go higher, the willingness to help is greater.

Logically, you will want to expand your network with the people who represent the characteristics in quadrant II: high willingness to help and high relevance to your job search. These individuals include the following:

• Career services directors, career counselors, administrators
• Peers with whom you have good relationships and who could perhaps share information about their prior internships
• Professors who are impressed with your abilities and performance and who have ties to corporations of interest to you
• Alumni who want an increasing number of qualified candidates from their school to enter their company or industry
• Past employers who were very satisfied with your level of work, who have contacts at firms in which you are interested in, and so forth
• Your relative who works in a corporation, but not in your industry, who may be friends with those who do work in your industry

Logically, you will want to spend the least amount of time with people in quadrant III because they have no relevance to your job search and are not willing to help.

Quadrants I and IV remain, and very helpful networking contacts could be lurking in both of these populations.

Quadrant I: This is an excellent resource for networking contacts because these individuals are very willing to help, but perhaps their relevance to your job search isn’t obvious or apparent. You never know who people know, so it’s very much worth your while to get to know as many people as you can, no matter what the venue.

People in quadrant I include the following:

• A neighbor might be best friends with an administrative assistant at the company in which you are interested and that assistant could easily share your résumé with hiring managers.
• Someone with whom you are affiliated by attending a church, synagogue, or any other place of worship may have contacts in the industry in which you are interested, and can arrange for an informational interview.
• Your landscaper might have a brother who is a senior or top-level executive at the exact company in which you are interested.
• A diner owner could have a close friend who is a hospital administrator and can arrange an introduction into the health-care field.
• A teacher’s husband might be a vendor to the company in which you are interested.
• Your dog groomer might have a neighbor who is a junior-level manager at a firm of interest.

The endless possibilities in this quadrant shouldn’t be overlooked!

Quadrant IV’s population could also represent fruitful opportunities, but you will need to ask yourself, “at what cost?” If someone highly relevant to your job search has a low willingness to help, could you turn that person around? What would it take? Often, it’s best to funnel your energy and effort into the quadrants that will yield the best results: quadrants I and II.

Build Your Network

If you are shy and the thought of networking wreaks havoc with your nervous system, certain strategies you can employ immediately will allow you to benefit from networking venues of all kinds.

Step 1: Observe the Networking Masters

We all know people who are natural networkers and who know how to work a room better than most. For those of you who are shy watch people who network effectively. Observe how they meet and greet a variety of people. Notice their body language, especially their smile, posture, handshake, and eye contact. You will naturally pick up pointers from these individuals.

Step 2: Pair Up with Someone Who Is a Good Networker

If you can pair up with a networking master, by all means do. If you have a friend who is extroverted, ask them to attend an event with you and pair up to meet as many people as you can. This can be a very valuable adventure that results in meeting quite a lot of new people.

Use questions like:

1. How did you get started in your field?

2. What do you enjoy most about your work?

3. What skills are most important for success?

4. What advice would you give someone entering this field?

 

Step 4: Don’t Take Things Personally

When you take the plunge and begin networking and meeting individuals, try to develop a thick skin and don’t take things personally. Some individuals will not want to communicate with you, and that is fine. Move on to those who do.

Some people may not engage—and that’s okay. Move on to the next person.

Meet People at Different Venues

Where to Network in College

Your campus is full of opportunities:

Join Clubs and Organizations

Clubs connect you with motivated students and provide access to opportunities and events.

Use Career Services Early

Career services staff know employers, internship programs, and industry trends.

Talk to Your Professors

Many professors have industry experience or professional connections.

Meet People From All Areas of Campus

Connections can come from:

• Administrators

• Staff

• Classmates

• Teaching assistants

• Student workers

• Campus vendors

Stay Connected With High School Friends

They are growing their own networks too, often at different colleges.

Final Thought

Networking is not about being the most outgoing person—it’s about building real, meaningful relationships that help everyone grow. Start now, stay curious, and keep in touch. Your network will take you further than you think.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Effective networkers build their network every chance they get. This includes networking with individuals they meet daily, at business events, and at social events of all kinds.
• Proactively build your network during your job search. Rather than go to lunch alone, see such outings as networking possibilities. Participate in as many events as you can and meet as many individuals as you can.
• The most helpful individuals to meet are those who are highly relevant to your job search and very willing to help.
• Many strategies exist for meeting people, even if you are shy. Observe people who network well and learn from their behavior. Pair up with someone who is a natural networker and learn from their interactions. Do not take things personally.
• You can ask many simple networking questions that will elicit substantial information from networking contacts.
• On-campus contacts can be found in every corner of your college or university. Take advantage of school clubs, meet as many administrators as possible, and remember that professors are people, too, and often have had careers in business.

Exercises

1. Create your network of one hundred people, using the 2 × 2 matrix in this section. Type the names of the individuals and how you know them. Also include the last time you contacted each person to say hello.
2. Ensure you attend at least two to three networking events in the next month.
3. Follow up with all of the individuals you have met.