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• The Hiring Process

Networking involves meeting with people to talk about possible job opportunities that they might be aware of. Who you know is often the key to getting a job.

Successful networking requires you to:

Make a list of contacts
Set goals
Set up meetings
Meet with contacts
Follow up

Make a list of contacts

Start by making a list of people who might be contacts. The people on your list might include:

Friends, family and neighbors
Teachers and professors
Acquaintances and business contacts, including former managers and supervisors
Referrals from other contacts

In addition, you might make contacts by calling people you do not know and to whom you have not been referred. For more information on telephone skills, go to ISEEK's Interview and Negotiate section, Schedule Interviews.

Set goals

An important success factor in networking is to set goals. Before you start calling people on your list, decide:

How many people you plan to contact each week
What you want to accomplish when you make those contacts. For example, you want to set up a meeting for next week, or you want to get the names of other contacts
What you want to take away from a meeting

Set up a meeting

At some point in your networking process, you will meet with your contacts. When you make your initial call to set up that meeting:

Plan to reintroduce yourself, if necessary
Let your contact know who referred you
Let them know that you only want 30 minutes of their time
State your goal for the meeting
Express your appreciation of the time they are willing to spend with you
Confirm the date, time and location of the meeting

Meet with your contacts

To get the most out of the meeting, keep these tips in mind:

Come to the meeting prepared. Know the specific questions you want to ask
Take notes
Always ask your contact if she or he knows of anyone else you should meet. Ask if you can use her/his name when contacting that person
Ask when you might call or contact the person you met with again
Stick to the time limit that you agreed on when you set up the meeting
Let your contact know that you appreciate the time taken to meet with you, and the information and professional opinion

Follow up after the meeting

Sending a thank-you letter or card to your contact is an important part of networking. For more information and samples to use, go to ISEEK's Interview and Negotiate section, Interview Follow-up.

In addition, plan to do the following:

Update your calendar with any new meetings that you might have set
Keep a record of important information about each contact and the outcomes of each meeting
If you agree to do something for someone, be sure to follow through

Source: Creative Job Search, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Page last updated in March 2008.