What is Networking?

Networking is making connections and building meaningful relationships to share resources, offer support and assistance without expectations of immediate reciprocity. Put differently, it is more than telling everyone you know you’re looking for a job. Whether the idea of meeting new people and creating connections is exciting or anxiety producing, it is important to know:

• Why networking is central to your lifelong career success
• Where you can effectively network
• Skills and strategies for networking

In addition to this written resource, you may find the webinar below to be a useful overview.

Why Network?

The importance of building a robust network extends beyond finding a job. Through networking, you can develop invaluable relationships in the form of mentors, future colleagues, and friends. Many good things can come out of those relationships such as; new ideas, introductions, helpful suggestions, project proposals, and certainly a referral or recommendation for a job or internship.

Where Do I Network?

Networking opportunities abound, ranging from chance interactions with peers, supervisors, former colleagues, and alums to intentional outreach. A few ways to begin include:

• Attending Career Education events. You can learn about Career Fairs, employer events, Graduate School Week, our Inclusive Recruiting Summit, and more on our website’s events page.
• Subscribing to Industry Newsletters. If you already have interests in specific fields, Industry Newsletters from Career Education’s Advisors will let you know about highlighted events, resources, jobs, internships, and fellowship opportunities in those areas. 
• Connecting via LinkedIn and The Wellesley Hive. The Informational Interviews section below provides details on how to get started with outreach to individuals who work in your interest areas.

Strategies & Resources for Networking

Keep the following suggestions in mind as you make connections virtually or in-person. 

• Focus on asking open ended questions. This will allow the person you are connecting with an opportunity to share information about their professional interests and career journey. For instance, you might ask, “What do you enjoy most about your career in medicine?” rather than, “Do you like being a doctor?”
• Take the opportunity to share your interests and goals, making sure you ask follow up questions and make connections between your interests. 
• Avoid asking for a job. A networking conversation is an opportunity to learn from the person you are speaking with, rather than a type of informal interview. Asking for employment could negate the purpose of networking — to build a connection that will help you to better understand an industry (and one that could, eventually, lead to a new opportunity).

Here are some additional resources to help you effectively build your network to support your career journey.

• Artful Communication: The Foundation for Effective Networking
  • An overview of the “soft skills” and nuances of communication that lead to successful networking and relationship building
• Crafting your Pitch: Your 30 Second Introduction
  • An outline to preparing a brief, polished pitch that you can adapt for most networking situations
• Using Social Media to Network: Your Digital Professional Community
  • A guide to using LinkedIn, The Wellesley Hive, and Twitter to build your network.

Informational Interviews

Informational interviews and networking are intertwined, yet distinct, components of career development. Networking encompasses a range of practices aimed at building professional relationships, while informational interviews are a targeted approach to career exploration within your network.

For example, networking by attending events on and off campus can expand the number of people in your network, but is not always the most effective strategy for having insightful/informative/engaging conversations. In contrast, informational interviews can help you:

• Make connections with professionals at specific organizations
• Learn about an industry, organization, or opportunity from first-hand experience  
• Discover new areas of study or career options you didn’t know existed
• Learn how to prepare for a specific industry, organization, or role

Scheduling an informational interview is not as scary as it may seem. People generally enjoy speaking about their experiences and giving advice! Most of the professionals you reach out to have been in your shoes before and are happy to return the favor. The worst case scenario is that your contact is too busy to meet, so you will need to reach out to others.

If you prefer a webinar format, the following video also provides an overview of the content covered in this resource.

Setting Up an Informational Interview

Identify a Professional in the Field
When beginning the search for someone with whom you can conduct an informational interview, a great place to start is by meeting with your Advisor for Career Exploration (ACE) or Industry Advisor. They won’t have a list of contacts, but can help you identify alums, professionals, companies, faculty, and others who might be of interest. 

Also consider talking to advisors, professors, and other connections you have on campus, as well as friends, family members, coaches, and coworkers and supervisors from past jobs, internships, or volunteer positions. Even if these individuals are not within your industry of interest, they may have connections to people in your field. Lastly, there are electronic resources that can help you identify relevant individuals and Wellesley alums:

1. The Wellesley Hive: The Wellesley Hive is a digital mentorship platform exclusively for the Wellesley community. Alums and students can ask each other questions and seek guidance. You can search the Hive for alums who work for specific organizations, live in a particular location, have salient experience, or share your professional interests or personal identities. It is an excellent way to reach out and connect to alums, who are eager to support students and other graduates on a short or long term basis.

2. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a free online professional networking platform. With more than 450 million users worldwide and over 25,000 active Wellesley alums, LinkedIn is a valuable resource for networking, exploring potential career paths, and building your professional presence online. See our LinkedIn resource or schedule an appointment if you need help getting started. 

Once you have identified someone you would like to speak with, send a concise message explaining who you are, why you are contacting them, and what you hope to learn. Ask if they are available for a brief (20 minute) conversation. Be sure to specify how you would like to connect (phone, video call, in-person) and be flexible with format and timing. If you are reaching out to someone you have not interacted with previously, allow 1-2 weeks for a response before following up. It is reasonable to send a brief follow up message after a couple of weeks if the person did not respond.

Preparing for Your Informational Interview

For an informational interview, you should be ready to lead the meeting — since you are doing the interviewing! Prior to the conversation, refresh your memory on what you were able to learn about your contact. Write down specific questions you have about their career path to have on hand. Consider setting some specific goals for your interview, so that you ask questions to get the information you are hoping to learn. Ask yourself: What do you most hope to learn from this conversation? What decision(s) are you hoping this conversation will help you to make?

Sample Questions To Ask

Below are some sample questions to consider asking your interviewee

During Your Meeting

Tips For Success
Make sure you know where to go for your meeting, give yourself extra time to get acquainted with the location and decide on a route. Try not to schedule anything immediately before or after your meeting in case you have a great conversation that runs long. As much as you can, try to be yourself and enjoy the conversation!   

For virtual meetings: test all of your technology the night before and be ready 15 minutes before your scheduled start time. 

A few additional tips:

• Arrive on time, in professional dress, and be ready to introduce yourself and ask your questions.
• Bring your written list of questions, along with paper and pen for taking notes.
• Remember your goal is to learn more information to help you in your career exploration, not asking for a job.
• Bring a copy of your resume. You want to be prepared if they ask to see it.
• Do not be afraid to ask the person you are speaking with to connect you to someone else following your conversation.

After Your Interview

Immediately following the informational interview, jot down a few notes about your experience. Taking time to reflect will help you plan any next steps such as whether to pursue job shadowing, conduct more research about the industry, or even prepare an internship or job application. Ask yourself:

• What did I learn about the industry and/or the professional’s career path?
• What surprised or excited me the most?
• What was the most helpful piece of advice I received?
• Am I still interested in this career path?
• What concerns do I have about this line of work?
• Can I see myself enjoying this line of work? Why?
• Does this path capitalize on my strengths and align with my values?
• What skills do I need to gain or further develop to succeed in this field?
• What information am I still missing?

We encourage you to make an appointment with your Advisor for Career Exploration or an industry-specific Career Advisor to discuss your reflections further. These appointments will be helpful in identifying next steps in terms of your research and exploration.

Be sure to send a thank you card or email to your interviewee within 24 hours to thank them for their time. Make this a thoughtful note that highlights some key points you took away from the conversation, and how they helped you.

Finally, keep In touch! Now that you’ve made the connection, this person is part of your on-going network. How often and which topics will vary by connection, try to keep your periodic updates relevant to the person and topics you discussed.  By providing them with updates on your career as it develops, you will be deepening the relationship over time.