You’re definitely not alone if the idea of networking makes you nervous. Striking the balance between formal and informal conversation, asking the right number of questions and sneaking in a humble brag is not always easy. But the major key to successful networking isn’t trying to follow a predetermined script or taking it too seriously. It should still be a normal conversation – just with a career focus.
Once you introduce yourself and get past the basics of who the person you’re talking with is and what they do, there might be a lull in the conversation. Now you’re stuck– what do you do next? Well, whether you’re at an alumni event, an intern happy hour, a coffee chat, or even talking with one of your colleagues at your current job or internship, here are four talking points you can fall back on when networking if you’re just not sure where to take the conversation:
Ask them about their college experience.
It’s no coincidence that people often say college is the best four years of your life, so there’s a good chance the person you’re talking with wants to talk about it. The wealth of classes, opportunities, friends, and everything else that comes along with it truly makes it an unforgettable experience. This is also a great way to find some common ground. You might be in the same sorority or fraternity or have had involvement in similar clubs. You may have even had the same major! Ask them about what they studied in college, how their career plans changed from freshman year to graduation to now, and even about some friends or professors. It makes the conversation a bit more casual and you might even feel a little comforted to find things hardly unfold exactly as people think they will.
Connect the topic of conversation to a class you’re taking or one you took.
Your internship is probably in a field or industry that you’ve learned a bit (or a lot) about in college. Talk about the experience of applying what you learned in a real workplace – how it was different, how it was more or less interesting. And, as always, ask questions. Was there a class that really helped shape their career? Is their current job what they anticipated in school?
Bring up something they mentioned earlier in the conversation.
If they told you about a job they had before their current one, ask more about that. It’s totally normal to say, “Wait – tell me more about your previous job! It sounded really interesting.” Make sure you connect it to something you’re interested in career-wise so there’s a little background as to why you’re asking about it. For example, if they switched industries after their first job, ask what led to that decision – maybe you’re trying to decide which industry to start out in!
Share how you learned from a challenge during a job or internship.
Remember that, eventually, the person you’re talking to might help you get a job or an internship, or connect you to someone higher up in their company. It might be beneficial to show off some skills you gained as a result of a challenge you faced in a past position. Maybe you had to tackle a project you didn’t have much experience in or use a software you didn’t know how to navigate. Bring this up! For example, “I was asked to code a section of a webpage using HTML, which I’d never done before. Honestly I was pretty nervous, but I watched some online tutorials when I got home, practiced, and eventually got the hang of it.” This not only shows that you accepted the challenge, but you put in extra work by learning a skill on your own outside of work hours. This can also be an easy way to set up a question – what skills did they learn on the job that they didn’t anticipate?
The biggest things to avoid when networking are solely talking about yourself and your achievements, but conversely, asking too many questions to the point where the exchange only feels like an interview. While it’s great to lead with questions, you also want to make sure the person you’re talking with can get a sense of you and your accomplishment. Use the backbone of any good conversation – a bit of you talking, asking questions, and then listening to their response. Keeping it natural is the way to go. Hopefully these tips will help you put yourself out there more – you’ll be surprised how much people are willing to tell you about their experiences!