A Successful Networking Meeting

“I put myself in front of anyone I thought might be able to give me advice.  The point was less to find a new job than to widen my understanding of what was possible and how others had gone about it.  I was realizing that the next phase of my journey would not simply unfold on its own…”

-        Michelle Obama

This idea of meeting with people in your Network and using this to grow your opportunities seems obvious.  Just sit down and talk with people.  However, having a plan and working this plan makes the investment of time and energy for yourself and the person you’re meeting with much more impactful.  This isn’t to say a general meet and greet discussion won’t produce something, but you’re going to have limited opportunities and you should make the most of them. 

Remember also, that if the expansion of your network is working.  You will start to meet with more and more people that may not know you firsthand.  You will be standing on the shoulders of your immediate network and making ‘asks’ of people that are comparative strangers. This makes the Networking meeting a bit more…interesting.

A mistake that some people will make is asking the person you are meeting with for a job.  That is not Networking. People will become uncomfortable, shut-down, end the meeting early or not be open to referring you to people that might be helpful for you.  “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you,” per Dale Carnegie. You want to create an environment where you are not desperate, but inquisitive, confident and engaging. There is no high pressure situation.  However, if you know they are hiring for a position that you would be qualified for, then it isn’t a networking meeting it is an interview.  That is a very different kind of meeting that doesn’t qualify in the ‘networking’ category.

I got tips through a weekly job transition group and a recruiter recommended a book for me to read. I recommend the book as a resource and encourage you to compare notes with others that have been in a similar situation.  The book is called, “The 20-Minute Networking Meeting” by Marcia Ballinger and Nathan Perez.  The general idea from both resources was to meet with a plan for the meeting and be respectful of people’s time. 

Here are some condensed highlights from the book. 

• Step 1: Create a Good First Impression with some intros, thank you’s, and chitchat.

  • A great chance to hand them your personal business card.

• Step 2: Give a 1-minute Overview of your background.

  • This is where you can use your ‘1-Pager’ to introduce yourself quickly and leave them with a nice color copy for later reference.

• Step 3: Come prepared with 5 key questions to structure your 15-20 minutes of discussion.

  • The first couple questions should note some observation about their background and structure a business question that helps you learn something about their business or career.

  • Question number 4 is where you ask them to suggest a couple contacts they have which you could reach out to.  This is the meat of the meeting and your effort to play ‘Kevin Bacon’ (sort of).

  • The last question that leads into the wrap-up is asking if there is anything that you could help them with.  Perhaps they can tap into your network?  They might have some questions about industries you have been in?

• Step 4: Finish the meeting strong.  Read the body language, keep the discussion focused and respect people’s time.

• Step 5: Follow-up very quickly after the meeting. Thank you’s are appreciated by everyone.

  • This can be an e-mail and is even better if it is a written ‘snail mail’ note.  They have taken some of their personal time to meet with you and everyone likes to be thanked.

You will notice that very little of this meeting is focused on how you got here.  There is also some homework that you should be doing ahead of time.  Research the person that you are going to meet with.  This is easy with tools like Linked In and some Google searches.  Prepare so that the person is impressed, and you don’t waste their time.  There is no excuse not to be prepared. Do your homework.

Consider if there is something helpful that you can bring to the discussion for the person you are meeting with.  Are there any observations, articles, recent news that might be applicable which they maybe aren’t aware of?  Can you make it a ‘win-win’ meeting?

Just to recap, the networking effort is extremely important in the job transition effort. Approaching it with a confident and non-desperate air will help your job transition work.  The ‘Network’ is not a stagnant thing, but a growing thing that you need to feed with nurturing, time and energy.