Career experts often tell us to “go out there and network?”
What does that actually mean? Because they never specify, we end up going to a few pointless networking events, which actually turn out to be a bunch of unemployed people looking for jobs, until we realize the pointlessness of random networking.
The thing about effective networking is that there’s a game going on around us that we don’t even see.
In this post, I’ll show you how you can network naturally, and leave you with email scripts that you can use to start off.
How Networking ACTUALLY works
When I was testing material for my Find Your Dream Job course, I tested it on networking as well.
Most people think networking is about being sleazy, slimy, and scammy. They imagine the slick-haired business guy flitting around a room, handing out business cards, then winking and saying ‘Catch ya later!’
Wrong, wrong, wrong. This is a false dichotomy people concoct to avoid learning how networking really works. It’s easier to be disgusted by networking than to learn how to do it right — a classic preemptive defense mechanism.
Unfortunately, the dismissive pleasure is short-lived. While you say ‘Networking is sleazy,’ other people are getting ahead — ethically and rapidly.
I call this ‘Natural Networking,’ because it truly is natural. In fact, many of the journalists and CEOs I know will read this. They won’t be alarmed or skeeved out. THAT is how comfortable I am revealing these methods — because not only are they effective, but I can share them publicly.
There are also two things about networking I’d like you to be aware about:
- It’s far more powerful to spend a week trying to meet with one person than a week trying to go to random networking events.
- In this case, ‘less is more’ is true — it’s far more effective to focus and meet interesting, relevant people than to blindly throw your business cards into the wind. I don’t even think I have business cards any more.
- In this case, ‘less is more’ is true — it’s far more effective to focus and meet interesting, relevant people than to blindly throw your business cards into the wind. I don’t even think I have business cards any more.
- Top performers build their network BEFORE they need it.
- That’s how they can get laid off on a Monday and have a better job lined up by Friday. Read that sentence again, please — it means that top performers are comfortable meeting people and cultivating relationships with no specific purpose. In fact, it’s almost always to help the other person
My Find Your Dream Job course covers natural networking in depth, including the specific words to use in emails and even in coffee-shop conversations. But today, I’ll show you how to get started, and I fully intend for this free blog post to rival any paid material on natural networking, anywhere.
Informational Interviews - the first step to natural networking
We’ve all heard about ‘informational interviews’ but few of us do it. What is it? How does it work? And how can you use subtle techniques to make an informational interview help you — and more importantly, the other person — even if you have seemingly little to offer?
First, an informational interview is an opportunity to meet someone you’re curious about and learn from them. Maybe you’re curious what a Product Manager really does. Maybe you want to know what the culture at IDEO is like. That’s what an informational interview allows you to do.
Second, THIS IS NOT WEIRD. What’s weird is a bunch of whiny 20- and 30-somethings doing the same damned mindless resume submitting, then wondering why they don’t have jobs. Are you seriously kidding me? Informational interviews are one of the most powerful techniques in your Dream Job arsenal, yet because they seem ‘weird’, people don’t do them. You continue thinking they’re weird while I sail around in a flying car paid for by my Dream Job, which I got because I used effective informational interviews. I hate you.
Lastly, people WANT to meet with smart people. That means you, if you send a great email, have incisive questions, and are interesting. People do not want to meet with idiots, which includes people who…
- Ask worthless questions (‘Dear Ramit, what should I do with my money?? Uh….read the last 8 years of my site’)
- Ramble (‘Hi I’m blah blah and I’m really interested in blah blah and once when I was a kid we went to the park and blah blah and…well I guess this got really long, so…yeah. Thanks for reading.)
- Only talk about themselves (Hi Mr. Senior Exec at a Fortune 100 company, let me tell you about my background, what I studied in school, what I’m interested in….? You are there to LEARN FROM THE IMPORTANT PERSON. NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOU AND YOUR STUPID INTERESTS).
Have you read my NYT Bestselling book yet? If not, watch this 10 minute summary while you’re here!
Or, download the first chapter right to your device:
Ok, so let’s talk about what makes a great informational interview.
Here are the people who have reached out to me, stood out, met with me, and I’ve helped them find jobs (or even hired them myself). By the way, I’m not that important, but I’m just using myself as an example of someone who gets a lot of emails/day (600+) so it’s challenging to reach me.
- They reached out through a warm contact.
- If they didn’t have one, they spent the time to find one by studying who I know. (The info is out there, you lazy asses. Facebook, Twitter, 8 million pages I’ve written, the ‘Acknowledgements’ page of my book. And this isn’t just about me, it’s about any busy person you want to meet.)
- They explained any similarities we had. An alum reaches out to me who seems genuine? I’ll almost always take a phone call or, if convenient, a coffee meeting. Maybe they grew up in my hometown, or went to my high school. Even I have a small semblance of emotion, leading me to occasionally act like a normal human being.
- They reached out with a BRIEF, CONCISE EMAIL. Word-for-word scripts down below!
- They met with me and asked very insightful questions.
- GOOD: I noticed you did XYZ. It’s interesting because Very-Important-Person took a different approach and did ABC. What was your thinking?
- BAD: I’m so unhappy at my job. What should I do with my life? Ugh. Get a bowl of soup and a therapist. That’s not the kind of question you ask at an informational interview.
- They asked questions for 90% of the informational interview, interjecting insightful comments once in a while, showing that they’d done their homework. In the last 10%, they mentioned what they were working on and asked for advice. When they were especially impressive/likeable, I offered to introduce them to people I know, or outright offered to hire them.
- They never outright asked for a job, which you never, ever do in an informational interview. They also gave me an ‘out’ in case I couldn’t/didn’t want to help them.
NOTE: These were not all the most socially smooth people. Some of them were downright socially awkward. Doesn’t matter! Sometimes, awkwardness can be endearing! Not everyone is Rico Suave. But the very best showed a remarkable level of preparation, which anyone can do — but few actually do.
As a result, many of these people stood out among tens of thousands of others who left comments/emails/tweets. Not only do the very best top performers have an uncanny ability to reach extremely busy people, but they can turn a one-time meeting into a long-term relationship. And over time, that is worth more than almost any technical skill or amount of experience.
Email Scripts to Network Naturally
Here are two scripts from my Find Your Dream Job course which you can use today. When you sign up for the course, you’ll also get REAL scripts to follow up with non-responders, cold pitch with VIPs, and much more.
Script 1: Cold emailing an expert
Hi Steve,
Greetings from a fellow UCLA alumni! I was doing some research on Project Manager positions on LinkedIn, and I noticed you’re a Project Manager at Acme.
I’m on a quest for my dream job and would love to ask you 3-5 questions about your experience at Acme. Would you be available for a quick chat over coffee this Thursday at 10am? I’m also free any time on Friday.
Sincerely,
John Smith
P.S. I’m sure you’re busy, so if it’s easier for you, I’d be happy to send my questions via email.
Why this works:
- You establish a shared interest by acknowledging some common ground. In this case, it was that you went to the same university. It can be the same college, hobby, or a mutual friend.
- You gave a few options for what day and time to meet.
- The email is short and to-the-point with a graceful alternative (email) if they’re too busy.
Script 2: Asking a friend for an introduction to one of their contacts
Hey Stephanie,
I noticed you’re connected to Jennie Jones at Acme on LinkedIn. I would love to chat with her to get some advice about Acme. I promise to be respectful of her time.
Would you mind connecting me? I can send you a pre-formatted introductory email to make things really easy for you. Is that OK?
Thanks,
-Chris
Assuming Stephanie says “yes,” here’s what to send next:
Subject: Jennie, meet Chris (considering interviewing at Acme). Chris, meet Jennie.
Stephanie, here’s a forwardable email. It should be ready to send, but please feel free
to edit as needed!
Thanks,
-Chris
— Chris, please meet Jennie, who is an SVP at Acme.
Jennie, Chris is a friend of mine and currently a project manager at Bluth Corp. He’s excellent at user-centered design and is curious about some of the opportunities at Acme. He wondered if you could spare 10 minutes to chat on the phone.
Chris, can you take it from here?
Thanks,
-Stephanie
Why this works:
- You ask for help in the first place! That’s great — that’s what your network is for.
- You make it as easy as possible for the person doing you the favor to email with a pre-written script. Remember: they’re busy too.
Other Quick Natural Networking Tips
- The best place to get informational interviews is via your alumni association. People who went to the same college have a bond with each other, even decades later.
- Starting does not have to be complicated – Brainstorm a list of 10 people you’d like to connect with. Start with these people: People who have a job title you’re interested in learning more about. People who work at companies you’re interested in potentially working at. And people who are doing interesting things you want to learn more about (e.g., you read about them in a magazine/blog post).
- Never, ever directly ask for a job in an informational interview. That’s a big no-no. You can turn an informational interview into a potential job opportunity, but only if you approach it wisely
How do you get the attention of a hiring manager who sees THOUSANDS of resumes each week? In this video, I’ll show you how to get your resume to stand out from the rest.
Get Started Today
What will you do with this? Will you nod and shrug and say, Yeah, I should really do this…?
Or will you identify 10 people, emailing all of them, knowing that 2-3 will get back to you and agree to talk?
This isn’t URGENT. But it is important. And a year from now, you can be in the same place…or you can have built relationships with superb people, helping them, and knowing that they want to help you, too.
I want you to take action today. I want you to know that natural networking is not about being sleazy, slimy, or scammy. It’s about helping others and doing more preparation than anyone else so they want to help you.
After you finish reading this post:
- Brainstorm 10 people you want to or should meet. Get their email addresses.
- Use Script 1 to reach out cold to experts in your field. You’re inevitably going to get rejected along the way but I personally believe every ‘no’ you get is one step closer to a ‘yes’.
- Use Script 2 to reach out to friends for an introduction to one of their contacts.
- Start filling up your week with either coffee chats or Zoom meetings
- Practice information interviewing – I have a full blog post dedicated to that here.
- Repeat Steps 1-5.
It’s one of the best things I’ve published (and 100% free), just tell me where to send it:
