From URL to IRL –
A Better U
Presented for
Networking

First, Let’s Redefine It!

Building mutually beneficial
Relationships

Where are you?

You’re Already Connected Online
 Professors
 Family
 Friends
 Parents of Friends
 College Career
Center
 Alumni
 Campus Groups
 Professional Associations
 Clubs or Meet Ups
 Twitter Chats
 LinkedIn Groups

Let’s Do It With Purpose

What Do You Need?
Informational meeting
– Career Advice
• What types of entry level jobs to look at
• What other industries/companies to look at
• How they got started in their career
– Company Information
• What do they like about the company
• How did they get their foot in the door
• How do jobs get filled (recruiters, posting, etc.)

Requesting A Meeting Will
• Build a closer relationship
• Tap into their knowledge/expertise
• Establish trust/familiarity
• Showcase some of your skills/expertise
• Lay groundwork for future meeting

Networking may not be
immediately
gratifying

Prepping for a One-on-One

Common
Interests
Areas of
Expertise
What you’ll
talk about

 You interested in
learning from them
 “Top of mind”
awareness of your
talents
What do
I want to
communicate?

 What do you have in
common?
 What 2-3 skills do you
want to be known for?
 What are you most
proud of?
 Types of problems can
you solve?
What's the best
way to
introduce
myself?

 What trends do you see in
the future that will affect
your organization and
industry?
 What is the greatest
demand for your services
or product?
 If this company was
known for 3 things as a
workplace, what would
they be?
 What are the qualities of
people who perform best
in this business?
What
questions
do I ask?

Going to an event?

• What did you think of the speaker?
• What part of the talk really
resonated with you?
• What prompted you to come here
today?
• Have you been to one of these
before?
• What’s been the best session for
you?
• Who have you enjoyed meeting so
far?
• What session are you most looking
forward to?
• How’s your week going?
• How’s business?
• Have you seen any movies
recently?
• Have you got any plans to get
away?
• How do you enjoy spending
your free time?
• What led you to set up your own
business/be an accountant etc?
• What’s the best part of your job?

Business Cards
Name
Role/Function/Job Title
Tag line (value proposition)
Phone, Email, LinkedIn URL
Online portfolio/social media

Give to Get

Ways to Show Appreciation
 Pay for their coffee/tea/chai
 Send an interesting article
 Introduce them to someone you know
 Offer to share what you know
 Lend or give a book
 Look for opportunities to promote them or
their company
 Repeat

 Identify 5 people to meet over the next
week/month/year
 Attend one professional association
meeting
 Listen for opportunities to: offer help, share
information, or connect with someone
Actions

www.careersherpa.net
Connect
with
Me! @CareerSherpa