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Before contact | How to contact | First follow-up | During the conversation | After the conversation

Before you contact anyone

• Know yourself well. Networking can provide you with the necessary information for the evaluation of goals, needs, and the atmosphere of various companies, allowing you to successfully integrate self and work --  but only if you have begun to define your own personal skills and needs. Our Self-Assessment Resources may help.
• Consider the following questions. Knowing answers to these types of questions will help you to formulate strong questions for the people with whom you plan to network. You will also be prepared to answer questions they ask of you (which they invariably will!).
  • What skills do I have and most enjoy using?
  • In what state, city, or area do I most want to work?
  • What occupational environment interests me? (e.g., if you’re interested in teaching adults, do you want to teach at a University? Adult education center? Business setting? Etc.)
  • Within these organizations, what kinds of people would I like to be surrounded by?
  • What would be the ideal goals, purposes, and values of my organization of choice?
  • What sort of working conditions will enhance my contributions to the organization?
  • What level of responsibility do I hope to undertake in the organization?
• Think broadly. If you know what skills you have and enjoy using, but aren’t sure how they fit into an area of work and therefore do not know who to talk to, start with just one skill and identify a person who might use this skill in their job. For example, if one of your skills is organizing people, you might talk with the chairperson of a community fund-raising campaign. In your interview, ask that person if they know what other jobs would enable you to use this skill plus one more, or if they could refer you to someone who might know. Ask the next person how you might combine those two skills plus one more. And so on, until you have talked to at least one person who is currently using the skills you have and would like most to use. The benefit of focusing on skills is that you may see ways of combining your skills that lead to a job that would not have occurred to you if your focus had been on job titles.
• Be prepared. Research the organization, the person you’ll be speaking with, product produced by the organization, etc. Both the CRC library and Olin library are excellent sources for information. Try easily accessible periodicals such as The New York Times as well as some of CRC's many electronic databases. The more knowledge you have, the more confident you will feel about your ability to communicate effectively, and the better questions you will be able to ask.

How to contact someone for the first time

• The most common method of making the first connection with a networking contact is in writing. Either an e-mail or a brief hard-copy letter is acceptable. In some circumstances, with a family friend or former employer for example, a phone call is fine.
• It is preferable that an introductory letter be typewritten, but neatly printed is acceptable.
• Enclose a resume so the person knows your background, and send it to his/her business address. Write to the home address only if no business address is available.
• Your letter should include: a brief introduction about yourself, the fact that you are a Wesleyan student; why you are writing to this individual; a brief statement of your interests or experiences in the person’s field, organization, or location and why you want to talk. Be straight-forward; tell him/her you are asking for information and advice. Do not ask for an internship or job.
• Ask for fifteen minutes to a half-hour of the person's time.
• The last paragraph of the letter should always include a sentence about how and when you will contact this person again. THEN MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW UP THE LETTER AS YOU SAID YOU WOULD! Usually this involves a phone call to set up a phone appointment or an in-person meeting. Never expect the person to phone you. If you have a hard time contacting the person, ask the receptionist when would be a convenient time to phone again.
• Proofread all of your correspondence (if you're on campus, bring sample letters to Drop Ins for a quick counselor review) and save copies.
  • View a sample networking e-mail
  • View a sample networking letter

Following up on your initial contact

• Follow up your letter with a phone call -- for e-mails, call within a week; for letters, call within two weeks. If you stated a specific day and/or time in your initial contact, make sure that you call when you said you would.
• Do not assume that the person is available at the time of your call; the purpose of the follow-up call is to set a conversation time that is mutually convenient.

During a phone conversation or in-person meeting

• Be polite and charming! Aside from the expected common courtesy, you never know who this person knows or what type of resource they may be for you in the future. Consider each person you talk with part of an ever-expanding network of contacts, and make a good impression in the hopes that the person will welcome you into their network as well.

• 4 "Must Ask" Topic Areas

  Ask about their career path Share your interests/skills and ask about opportunities in their field Ask about general job-search strategies Ask for additional contacts and permission to use their name as a referral

  Ask good, appropriate questions. You should expect to have about 10-15 questions ready to ask for a half hour conversation. You probably won't get to ask them all, and you will hopefully have other related questions during the conversation itself, but at least you will be prepared if the person provides only short answers. Here are some typical networking questions:
  • How did you get interested in and get your start in this work?
  • Does your work relate to any experiences or studies you had in college (or at Wesleyan if you’re with an alum)?
  • What do you do in your job? What is a typical day? (What did you do yesterday, today, tomorrow?)
  • What is the necessary or recommended education or training?
  • How did college (Wesleyan) prepare you for this job?
  • What do you like and dislike about this job (organization)? Why? Do you find it exciting or boring? Why?
  • How has your job affected your lifestyle?
  • What are entry level opportunities?
  • What is the salary range, both entry level and higher? Is there a ceiling?
  • What are the prospects for advancement?
  • What are the different jobs in this field or organization?
  • What is a typical career path in this field or organization?
  • What position is best for learning as much as possible?
  • Is there any type of training program? What skills are necessary and what experience?
  • These are my strongest assets (skills, areas of knowledge, personality traits, values). Where would they fit in this organization? Where might they fit in other fields? Where might they fit in other organizations?
  • How would you describe the working atmosphere and the people with whom you work?
  • Is there a basic philosophy of the company or organization and what is it? (Is it a people, service, or product oriented business?)
  • Can you suggest reading material that might give me further insight into this field (organization)?
  • Who else would you recommend that I speak to for advice?
• Really listen to what the person tells you. Although you are actually in charge of the interview, you should be prepared to talk half of the time and listen the other half. If the person wishes to talk more, you will know that immediately. Just be prepared with things to talk about and have solid questions. Also, be prepared for the person to ask you about your interests and experiences -- they surely will.
• Take notes. While it is important to maintain eye contact during in-person meetings, taking notes also demonstrates interest in what the person is saying. Make sure you write the person's name and the date on your notes so that you can refer back to them, either for your own purposes or when having a follow-up conversation with that contact.
• Keep the conversation relatively short. Whether you are talking by phone or in person, respect that the other person has many demands on his/her time. If they are available or wish to give you more time than you have requested, they will let you know. Be aware of the time that has passed and when there is a break in the conversation near the end of the time you requested, thank the person and politely end the conversation. If you are meeting in person, ask the person for a business card so that you can send a thank you note.
• Don't forget to say "Thank You"!!

After your conversation

• Send a thank you note immediately. Hard copy letters are much appreciated but e-mail notes are also acceptable. Personalize your letter by referencing something from your conversation that was particularly helpful. If the person referred you to another friend or colleague, state your plan of action for contacting that person.
• View a sample networking thank you note
• Review and evaluate the conversation. Go back over your notes to make sure the information is clear. Also, make note of any impressions you have from the conversation. Ask yourself:
  • What did I learn from this interview (both positive and negative impressions)?
  • How does what I learned fit with my own interests, abilities, goals, values, etc.?
  • What more would be helpful to know?
  • What plan of action can I make?
• Contact people referred to you by the person you spoke with. Make sure to immediately mention the mutual contact as well as any particular reason why the person you originally spoke with thought this new person might be helpful. Remember to abide by all of the above rules regarding timing, etiquette, and thank you notes.
• Keep your contacts informed. If your original contact referred you to someone who was helpful, send him/her a quick note with that information. Likewise, if a particular resource or research avenue was fruitful, let the person know that as well. Networking contacts -- especially Wesleyan alumni and parents -- are often sincerely interested in helping if they can and are curious about what ultimately happens in your career adventures.

Back to the Networking Guide table of contents