On October 4, 2024, the Alberta Mentorship Program (AMP) held an online Community Champion Mentorship Circle about Career Networking.
This discussion, moderated by Cheryl Whitelaw from AMP, introduced our expert for the session, Moe Esmaeili. Moe is part of the AMP Career Mentorship program.
In this Community Championship Circle, Moe discussed:
- Why networking is important
- Mindset
- Strategies
- Tactical steps
Why Networking is Important
Many find networking stressful and uncomfortable, but it is necessary when taking the next step in our careers.
Before you go to an event, you need to think and create high-level strategies on how you can win the game of networking and how you can use tactical steps to help with your approach.
Six Degrees of Separation
We are all connected. Each of us knows at least 45 people by first name. And each of those 45 people also knows another 45 people. You have access to 45 people to the power of 6 (456)—that’s 8.3 billion people. That’s more people than any living soul on this planet.
The Six Degrees of Separation has many theories, but the focus is on individual networks and how these networks link to a common individual. This idea connects to researcher Granovetter[i], who wrote about weak ties. In networks, an individual has strong ties with their family and close friends. Their acquaintances and colleagues, however, are weak ties. When you attend networking events, the goal is to meet these weak ties and establish connections with them because it is through them that you are most likely going to hear about or find a career.
Mindset
Before attending a networking event, you must change your mindset. Remember that most individuals attending these events feel the same stress as you do. Instead of walking into an event thinking you’re meeting many strangers, think that you’re going to meet a friend of a friend. Considering the Six Degrees of Separation, if you were to sit down with an individual from this event, you may find that somewhere along the line, you both have a mutual acquaintance.
The Long-Term Game
Networking is a long-term game to establish connections with weak ties in order to build a community. As your network slowly becomes larger, the value of it grows.
Sometimes, people become discouraged because they expect to find a job after attending two or three networking events. If individuals stop attending because they’re discouraged, they lose those connections and the possibility of hearing about new positions within their field.
Bringing Your Network
When you walk into an event, you bring a network with you, too, and you have the potential to connect others to your network. But where do you start?
Strategy
There are three options to begin your networking adventure.
1. Meet with an old friend.
Many of us have lost touch with old friends. As we grow apart, we begin to establish our own networks, but when we catch up with them, we have the opportunity to connect to their network.
2. Establish deeper connections with colleagues.
We all have at least one friend in the workplace with whom we’ve bonded over our line of work. Consider delving more into this connection by learning about their hobbies and passions. When you connect with them on a deeper level, you establish a relationship that lasts outside of the workplace and continues if one of you leaves the organization.
3. Meet friends through your friends.
Ask a friend to connect you to someone new and who may have similar hobbies or passions to yours.
Tactical Tips
Tactical tips come into play when you are attending a networking or industry event.
Go with a goal.
Write down your goal before going to the event. You are 70% more likely to achieve that goal when you write it down and focus on it.
Take the first step.
- Start a conversation with a person you would like to connect with.
- Think about the benefits of the event more than the risks.
Tip: When moving through the room, make eye contact with someone and approach them by stating, “Hey, you’re here for the event.” This one sentence will help break the ice. Follow up this sentence by asking if they’ve gone to a certain speaker and, if they haven’t, reiterate what was discussed.
Don’t be negative.
- Try to walk in with a positive mindset.
- A negative mindset can be off-putting and will take you away from your goal.
Get out of your comfort zone.
If you meet someone and hit it off, still circulate the room. End your conversation with the person by stating that you don’t want to hold them up from their networking and telling them you’d like to continue the conversation over a coffee. Then, give them or ask for their number.
Connection is a give and take.
Contribute to the conversation and add your perspective!
Offer to connect them with others.
Your greatest asset is your network. If you offer to connect a person to someone in your network, everyone will be grateful.
Be curious—genuinely.
- Build a connection with the person by asking about them—what are their hobbies and passions? Don’t ask them just about work.
- The more curious you are, the more you learn about an individual and learn how your unique set of skills can help within their network.
Keep the conversation going.
Keep the conversation going by asking open-ended questions and by matching the individual’s communication style. If they pause when responding, you should also pause when responding. Mimicking another communication style can help the person feel more at ease with you because you’re presenting something that is familiar to them.
Keep moving.
Go around the room and make eye contact with as many people as possible. Then, break the ice and start a conversation with each of them.
Make the conversation memorable.
- Most people remember three areas within any event. The beginning, the emotional high points, and the end.
- Greet a person with a firm handshake and smile.
- Appeal to their pathos, creating a lasting memory within the conversation, either by bringing joy or surprise to a topic.
- End the conversation on a high note by offering to continue the conversation over coffee or to connect them to someone in your network.
Find a way to enjoy yourself.
- Change your mindset.
- Find something joyful in the networking process.
The Alberta Mentorship program is sponsored by the Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC).
The Alberta Mentorship Program is appreciative of the funding from the Government of Alberta through Labour and Immigration, Workforce Strategies. Our program is here to provide information and support to help organizations start mentorship programs.
[1] Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360–1380. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2776392