The Art of Networking

I would like to start off this piece of people consulting with a little quote about what networking should of ought to be:

"One of the most powerful networking practices is to provide immediate value to a new connection. This means the moment you identify a way to help someone, take action." - Lewis Howes

I speak of networking today because, especially when starting off in college and in the short-term, it may be extremely difficult, networking is going to be your greatest friend in the long-run.

My experience comes from when I was a junior in college, recruiting for almost everything, finance to consulting to supply chain in the fall of 2018. I recall coming from the College, which was distinct and separate from the Business School, and not being prepared for recruiting, let alone networking. In almost every aspect, I was near terrible: I felt uncomfortable (I probably was to the company representatives), I was nervous, and I went in with the mentality of 1) gaining and 2) not truly listening. This transferred to phone calls, which would sometimes end off even worse since it was not in person. Ultimately, my inability to properly network led me to was an opportunity to grow. Luckily, upon gaining a summer internship at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., I was able to reverse my position and understand how to properly network.

Now properly networking can mean many different things and come in a variety and shapes and forms, but from my experiences, I learned the four following ideas:

1. Go in with the mindset that you are there to make a friend with equals.

Networking with the mindset that you are there to make a friend is key. Now this does not mean do not be prepared or do not be respectful or be too casual, but this ideology is important to being comfortable.

When I started networking for an internship in the fall of 2017, I went in with the mindset that I was, in a sense, "a customer" of the firm representative: I was nervous and mostly just felt that I was "inferior" (I am unsure of what word to use but I guess that this is the closest) as it was a"networking transaction" of their information for my interest. This led to the negative effect of looking being uncomfortable, not having a flowing conversation, and most importantly not being someone they thought they could work with or be friends with.

However, during and after my internship at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., I came to learn that my mindset was not correct. I came to understand that I am not inferior, but rather I am an equal. Honestly, the firms' representatives are equals and people, as well.. The only difference is that he or she may be a bit older and with a job, which I know I will have eventually. Having the idea that the person is just an equal, I am able to treat networking like any other relationship: you are there to become acquainted with one another, see if you "vibe," and then overtime become friends. This mindset has led me to be really just be more confident and more relaxed. Thus, allowing me to find more common ground in conversations, seeming like a normal person, and ultimately creating real relationships and friendships through networking.

2. You are there to genuinely listen.

When I first began the recruiting game (As I used to call it), I, and I believe most people in college, have a tendency to network with the intent of seeming interested in the "networking transaction." I and other people would go to career fairs or company presentations to "show face," for a lack of better terms, and to make it appear that we were interested. We would sit through the presentation and once the networking session began, we would go up, as a few questions, let everything a representative says go through one ear and out the other, ask not very relevant or very typical follow-up questions, and then say thank you, get a business card, and then leave.

If you notice in the situation I described above, I think that most people are there to just "show face." And, upon going through a second recruiting cycle this past fall, this in itself is a fundamental problem that I noticed that must be improved upon. College students need to stop going to events to simply seem "interested" with the hopes that someone remembers their names and pushes them to the first-round interview.

Instead, one must start off by coming prepared, with a few basic questions, at the very least; the questions do not have to be the most well-thought out but must be related to the work and the firm (Please do this because when you don't come with questions, you are wasting everyone's time; I have been on the receiving end of this before and I was genuinely annoyed with how an individual wanted to network with me and I had to lead the entire conversation). Then, upon a quick handshake and a brief introduction, begin asking the questions. But in doing so, make sure to truly pay attention when the representative speaks. Do not just nod your head and zone out but rather write notes and most importantly listen, understand, and internalize. Genuinely get into the representative's mindset and in their shoes and comprehend and visualize what they say from their perspective. And, in doing so, you will be able to ask better, more pointed, and related followup questions. Essentially, then creating a virtuous cycle that will give you the opportunity to become better connected and interesting to the representative.

3.Become a resource for the other person.

In my opinion, most people network for the soul purpose of taking from a resource, the firm's representative. This action, however, is very detrimental as it 1) makes you very unmemorable and, 2) more importantly, does not create a relationship where people want to help or work with you again as you do not generate value for him or her. As the Irish actor Ciaran Hinds once said, "When you find somebody who doesn't give and take, you go, 'Remind me never to work with you again.'" Now I won't lie, I, myself, was guilty of this in my time in college. And being guilty of this, I will admit, prevented me from receiving the help that I ever so needed to face the obstacles of recruiting.

So, I implore to you that you change your mindset of taking to that of giving and taking (Preferably giving more than taking). In essence, become a resource to another person and create value for them; help them grow and become even more successful through you. For instance, in a mentorship program I am in, I am a resource to my mentor in regards to passive income investing and real estate investing, and she has become a resource to me in regards to professional career advice. Fundamentally creating value and becoming a resource to someone else is the true way, in the long run, you will receive help and will want to be kept around, no matter what.

4. The art of following up and playing the long game.

My last piece of people consulting advice stems from my acknowledgement that my generation is extremely bad at this. I was speaking with one of my mentors since sophomore year about this, and I noticed that a lot of people are terrible at 1) following up and 2) staying in touch.

In regards to not following up, I have experienced this many times at Emory University. Sophomores, juniors, or seniors will come to me to network in order to learn about my experiences at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Most conversations would be mediocre (Because they did not follow my advice listed above), but even more so because they did not followup with me. Let alone a lack of a thank you note (Which is a "networking standard"), I would tell many people to send me a followup email so that I could could be reminded to connect them with colleagues of mine from the firm. And 100% of the time (Yes, you read this correctly), not a single person followed up to ask me to do so. As a result, I did not connect him or her with my colleagues and he or she did not improve his or her lot. Not following up, even when asked to do so, can be one's downfall and prevent him or herself from helping themselves. Not taking the extra effort to followup, create a relationship, and be connected with the right person, ultimately will put yourself in a worse position.

In regards to staying in touch, I do not mean constantly talking to another person or anything of that sort (You don't want to annoy someone). What I do mean is simply reaching out with updates in your life and career, sending holiday notes, seeing how another person is doing, or even asking for advice. While these actions may seem very insignificant, it has the great effects of 1) maintaining your network, 2) showing that you care about staying in touch, and 3) leaving things on a good note.

An instance of this, for me, was after accepting my Black & Veatch Management Consulting Analyst position. I sent an email to a recruiter, of another firm interviewed for, with a note that wished her a happy holidays and new year (It was a little bit after the New Year) and an update about my career. When she returned the email, she stated that she had never received anything like this in her time as a recruiter at the firm. She appreciated it and she stated that she wants to stay in touch; in addition, I should reach out to her if I am looking for any positions or opportunities at the firm.

It is evident from this example that staying in touch, sending emails and the sort, has a positive impact on your network and creates many doors and opportunities for you. It truly strengthens and bolsters your network in the long-term, thus creating true intrinsic value.

Overall, networking is not a science but truly an art that most people, especially in college, are not that good at. Thus, in order to become a "Master Network-er," please apply my suggestions above actively and passively. In a passive style, continuously think about how to be a better network-er in every aspect of your life, as you never know who you will meet in life. In an active sense, catch yourself making mistakes, think about what can be done to improve, and make the changes to bring your skills to a higher level.