Career Connection - Tips to Making Effective Career Connections

STEP #1 - CREATE YOUR NETWORKING LIST

Brainstorming - Think of both personal contacts and contacts from The Career Connection who are involved in the line of work you are interested in. Consider relatives, friends, parents of friends, neighbors, members of civic or social organizations in which you participate, current supervisors, and/or professors.

STEP # 2 - ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP AND ASK FOR INFORMATION, NOT A JOB

Reasons not to immediately inquire about jobs: If your contact is not in a position to hire, or if they don't know of any appropriate job openings, that's usually the end of the discussion. You are asking a contact to go out on a limb for you before they know the first thing about you. Once you have established a bit of a relationship with this person, usually by interviewing them about their career, they will be much more likely to take the risk of referring you to others.

How to begin establishing a relationship:  State your intentions to set up an interview clearly and concisely, "I've recently graduated from UVM and I'm interested in learning more about publishing as a possible career field. I found your name in The Career Connection and I'd like to set up a time to meet with you and ask you some questions about your career."

Expect to face some challenges: Some people won't know how to be helpful and others won't get back to you when they say they will. Some phone numbers and e-mails will no longer be valid. If you know that you may face these temporary setbacks, you can simply accept them as a part of the process and move on to the next step. Be persistent and be appreciative of the contacts that you do make!

STEP # 3 - BE ORGANIZED AND DO PRELIMINARY RESEARCH

Staying organized: Keep an orderly list of your contacts and conversations. If you're not naturally organized, you'll quickly loose track of important information. It may be helpful to set up a personal database or to use index cards and a box. Do a little research - The alumni listed in the Career Connection are busy professionals. Show your appreciation for their gift of time and knowledge by making a solid effort to understand their organization and their position prior to contacting them. Don't waste their time by asking questions that you could have easily researched before your meeting. The web can be your best friend on this!  They'll be able to use the time to help move you to the next level of career knowledge.

STEP # 4 - CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW

Set the tone of your time together: You are the one gathering the information. Make sure that you are prepared to ask most of the questions.

What questions to ask:  Check out the following link for ideas for questions for informational interviewing.

Be professional:  If you are meeting in person, dress in professional attire as if this were a real job interview. When you actually sit down to meet with people, restate your intentions.

Restate your intentions:  If you already know that you are interested in this career field, your stated intentions might be to learn about the other person's career path; their advice for breaking into the field and their list of top organizations to work for in this industry. However, if you have yet to determine a particular career field your goals for the meeting may be to learn about the different roles and jobs that are available in this industry or career field.

When to inquire about a potential job interview:  It depends on how the relationship is developing between you and your contact. Some constructive ways to broach the subject are by asking: "If I were to apply for a job with this organization, how would I go about doing it?", "What are good organizations in this field?" or "Is there someone else in this organization you might refer me to for an additional informational interview?" If you are serious about the organization and the field of your contact person, you may want to bring a polished resume to the interview. If you need help with a resume, come to one of the resume workshops offered by UVM Career Services or set up an appointment in Career Services.

STEP #5 - STAY IN TOUCH

Thank your contacts: Send a thank-you note within a day or two of your networking session/informational interview. Making the extra effort to write or e-mail a note will help you stand out in the person's memory.

Keep your contacts informed of your progress:  If somebody referred you to another contact that was particularly helpful, write to the original person and let them know.

Remember that networking is a mutually beneficial process:  If you come upon a resource that you think one of your contacts would appreciate, pass it along to him or her.