How to: Network (Part 3)
- Emeka Balakumar
- Feb 13, 2020
- 3 min read
Connecting Back:
Now that you have successfully networked with a multitude of people, it’s good to know how to connect back to these people. I’m going to break this out in different scenarios because I feel like you can learn a lot more through situations than just writing out paragraphs.
Coffee Chat/LinkedIn Latte
If you just networked with someone through a coffee chat, the easiest way to connect back is just to send them an email/message thanking them for their time and helping you learn about whatever you were talking about.
Ex: Thank you “person name” for taking the time to talk to me today and helping me learn more about the “topic of discussion”. Your time was greatly appreciated.
Networking Event
If you think that you connected with a certain representative really well and you want to connect back. The best way to do this is to get their business card and message them either through email or LinkedIn. Avoid text messages as it might come off as unprofessional. A quick message should include your name, the topic you talked about, and requesting a coffee chat to discuss a topic of interest.
Ex: Good morning, my name is Emeka Balakumar. We talked during the “event name” and I really enjoyed talking to you about the “topic of interest”. I was wondering if I can talk to you more about the “topic of interest” over coffee?
Connecting with a recommendation
Maybe you were talking to someone at an event and they referred you to someone who can give you more information. This would be handled differently as this person does not know who you are.
Ex: Good evening, My name is Emeka Balakumar, a first-year Schulich student. At “event name”, I was able to connect with “the person who you referred you”, who told me a lot about you and “topic of interest”. I was wondering I can talk to you more about the “topic of interest” over coffee?
Reflect on Learning:
I feel like this is one of the biggest concepts that needs to happen after attending any type of event (conference, networking night, case competition, etc.). Every event brings many lessons and reflecting on them makes it even more worth it. Even if it doesn’t feel successful, reflecting on the time you put and what happened can bring a little good into the day. What I like to do after the event is to ask myself three main questions:
1. What went well?
2. What could I have done better?
3. One lesson that I can take away from it
For example, after my first case competition in my university pathway, I felt down because it was not as well as I wished it went. My reflection from that event went like this:
1. What went well? I think I approached each situation with a positive outlook even if I didn’t know how to approach the case and was pressured with the time limit.
2. What could I have done better? I wished that I approached the networking better, in the sense that I had more courage to approach more recruiters.
3. One lesson that I can take away from it? Networking is like every other thing in life, practice makes perfect. Attending more networking workshops and events will help me know how to network better
This small reflection can help define your career path, life path and many other skills in your life. Understanding what you have learned and applying it to your life can help you make key life decisions. I know during one networking event, I very clearly realized that marketing is not for me. When he explained his job and day to day life, I realized that I could not see myself in that pathway. That small conversation gave me a clear conclusion that will help me when deciding what to specialize in.
Connecting Back Image: https://www.returnonhappiness.com/looking-back-to-connect-the-dots/
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