Networking – Top Opportunities and Techniques!


Connecting with People – Why is it Important?

If you Google search “how many jobs are found through networking” you will see an astonishing number like 85% That’s insane! Whether you believe this particular number or not, you can’t deny that you knowing the right people or the right people knowing you is extremely helpful. Networking played a huge role in my 3 out of 4 jobs!

But is it just related to job search? No! you can leverage your network for other valuable things such as career guidance, getting feedback on your ideas and many more.

Networking Tips

There are many resources available on networking tips so I’ll be brief here

  • Network BEFORE you need it.
  • Listen more, talk less.
  • Ask good, thoughtful questions.
  • Take genuine interest in others and in their work.
  • Offer value. Help however you can.
  • Be memorable for the RIGHT reasons.

Later I am going to list methods that are better than cold connecting, where you send a message to random unknown people. But that doesn’t mean cold connections are bad or ineffective. They can work if done the right way. Let’s talk about the techniques that are helpful when you are establishing connections, cold or not.

  • If you are initiating a connection request on LinkedIn, please add a note. Add it even if you have some mutual connections. The content could be as simple as how you found them and why you are reaching out to them – which should preferably not be about a referral, at least the first time around.
  • Research the individual or the company. If you are approaching someone for your potential benefit, it doesn’t really make a good impression if your first question is “So tell me what you do..” Instead, tell them what you know about them, what part you found interesting and what you want their advice/help on.
  • If possible, ask for a 30 mins call or face to face meeting. If meeting face to face, offer to buy coffee or lunch. If meeting face to face, dress appropriately.
  • Take cues from the person you are speaking with. E.g. some people might want to get to know you as an individual and talk about common interests, or others might want to jump straight to business. Tailor your conversation accordingly and be mindful of their time.
  • Follow up or keep in touch. If they connect with you on LinkedIn and they post on an important event, comment on that. If you sought their advice and acted on it, let them know how it worked out. Follow ups don’t have to be frequent. Once in six months or a year is fine.
  • If possible, offer something in return. It could be an introduction to someone, or help with something. You don’t have to find a way to offer, but if it is obvious, do it.

Networking Opportunities for People in Tech

Let’s talk about various ways to network, or what kind of opportunities you can capitalize on in the tech world. Let’s discuss students and working professionals separately.

Students

Students, if you feel that you don’t have any work experience, how are you going to network? You have more opportunities than you think! Here are the top 5 resources:

  • Professors – Your professors have a huge alumni network and they can help you tap into it. When I recruited students from Binghamton University for Bloomberg, we regularly sought professor recommendations and a lot of students got interviews because of them. You don’t have to do this just for the interviews. You could seek alumni insights for career guidance as well.
  • Information sessions or info sessions – Many companies host info sessions on campus. They usually talk about the cool technologies they work on and why that company is the best place to work at. Even if you are not looking for a job at that moment, attend those sessions, ask intelligent questions. If you make a good impression on them, they’ll most likely remember you if you need to get in touch with them in the future. The info sessions could also give you some insights into what they look for when they hire a student and use that for your  interview preparation.
  • Students who have secured internships or jobs before graduating – Ask them how they did it and what tips they could offer. If they know that you are a good student, they could potentially help you out in the future as well.
  • Other students, especially your project partners or group assignment partners – If you work hard and are a significant contributor to the project or assignment, your partners will most likely remember you for future opportunities. If you slack off, they will also remember you, but for the wrong reasons. Be memorable for the right reasons.
  • Attend coding competitions and/or hackathons – If you have more time, participate in organizing them as well. This will not only help you beef up your resume, but will also give you an opportunity to interact with and help other like minded individuals. Even if your code wasn’t that great, people might remember you just because you were on the organizing committee.

Working Professionals

You have plenty of opportunities within and outside your company!

  • Senior Engineers forums – They are known by different names in different companies, but essentially they are a bunch of experienced engineers who do design reviews or other engineering reviews for their org. Attend those even if your project is not being discussed. Ask thoughtful questions and provide recommendations if you have any. Valuable contributions don’t go unnoticed. You are not actively networking here, but making your presence felt. If you approach them later for help, they already have a good impression about you.
  • Tech Talks or Show and Tell – At times different teams or people like to present what they are working on, especially if they are hiring. Attend those talks and I am going to sound like a broken record, ask thoughtful questions.
  • Volunteer for social good events that teach coding, like Girls who code or coding for kids etc. Here you can leverage your expertise, help others and build connections.
  • Conferences or meetups – If you are interested in specific technologies like Machine Learning, Cloud Computing etc, you can attend conferences or meetups where you could build connections with others who are also interested in that area.
  • External companies or side gigs – There are plenty of companies who offer interview preparation or technology courses. If the policies of your day job permit, you can take up a side gig with such companies and use that to build your network. Once again, make sure your company’s policies allow that. Don’t get into trouble.

Opportunities that are common to Students and Working Professionals

  • Open source or stack overflow contributions, where you contribute to some project, or help answer questions from others. If you are regarded as an authority in a subject, that could help you tremendously in building relationships with people in that area.
  • Recruiters – if a recruiter reaches out to you, even if you are not looking for a job at that moment, you should keep in touch with them so that you have someone to reach out to when the need arises. It’s ok to not accept every single request and be selective.
  • Services like LinkedIn career guidance. LinkedIn had a setting where one could offer to provide career guidance and interested people could reach out to those folks for advice. I don’t see that setting anymore, so not sure if it still exists. This page says that are gradually rolling it out, so if it is available to you, take advantage of it, reach out to people for guidance and build relationships!

I prefer these methods to cold connecting, because you establish some credibility by offering  value or demonstrating your commitment or interest.

I get it, networking is not easy. But like everything else, it could get easier with practice. Be yourself, don’t show off and you’ll be fine! I wish you the very best!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *