Jennifer Armitstead spoke about best networking practices at our first North Texas Women in Business of the BYU Management Society event. I thought the handout was so good that I asked her for permission to reprint it here. I hope you find it as useful as I have!
Tips for Successful Networking
1. Don't network unless you first know who you are.
2. Before attending an event, know why you want to go.
3. Do your research on the guest speaker. What question would you ask them if you had 3 minutes alone to talk with him/her?
4. ALWAYS have business cards. Include: name, phone number, email, website, picture if it's a professional headshot. www.vistaprint.com is a great site for nice cards at a reasonable rate.
5. Dress the part. Think of the event and dress appropriately. Find a way to dress authentically to your style and brand. Is there something you can wear that showcases your personality?
6. Show up 15-30 minutes early. People who arrive early know that networking is the key to success, those are the people you want to know.
7. Get involved in the group - join a committee, get on the board, etc. There are simple ways to help ou that don't require a lot of your time, but the exposure in the group will be helpful to you!
8. Schedule the event. As soon as you get an email announcing an event, put it on your calendar. Don't wait, because other things will always take your time if you haven't planned for networking.
9. Have a plan of who you want to meet at the event. Examples: Meet 3 new people in the accounting industry. Meet someone who needs help with job search and introduce them to someone who might be able to help.
10. Keep going back. It does you no good to attend one meeting and then never go back. Unless the group doesn't meet your interests, attend as often as possible.
11. Use social media to connect with people after the event. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter are all great ways to continue developing your relationships.
Jennifer Armitstead is a Career Coach and Corporate Talent Consultant. She has coached 1000s of people on how to improve their careers and consulted with dozens of companies to attract and retain the right employees She is the Executive Producer and Host of Job Club Radio.
For more information: www.MovingForwardSolutions.com
Connecting women from all stages of their careers and lives to discuss personal, educational, and career development in the context of faith and moral, ethical leadership.
Thanks for sharing with the group, Stephanie. It was a great event, I felt very welcome... must be something to that "Texas Hospitality"! When it comes to networking, my #1 tip is JUST DO IT. To your career success!
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ReplyDeleteWill you be doing a women in business conference again this year?
ReplyDeletebreezy, thanks for your question. The conference is currently scheduled for next fall (2013)...it will be a bi-annual conference.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if this site is still active but FYI - Private LDS womens college in the works
ReplyDeleteAs the membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to grow worldwide there is an ever increasing need for LDS values-based educational choice and options at all levels. Pacific Womens College (PWC), a unique LDS values-based womens college, plans to launch an online college exclusively for women in January 2015. PWC was created in an effort to play a small part in addressing some of these educational needs and as an option to attending official LDS Church-sponsored schools. Pacific Womens College is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but provides an LDS values-based educational environment. This new online LDS values-based women’s college provides a uniquely supportive, student-centered environment which encourages academic achievement, educational and professional aspirations and attainment, and raises the spiritual confidence of women students. Pacific Womens College provides an alternative for women who have not completed their college education and need a more woman-friendly learning structure. Pacific Womens College is reaching out to mothers, entrepreneurs, working professionals, and senior citizens who want to further their education.
Women interested in participating in Pacific Womens College programs should visit the website at http://www.pacificwomenscollege.org or email info@pacificwomenscollege.org for more information and to find a PWC program in their region.
I couldn't get the link to Pacific Women's College to work, but this one does: https://sites.google.com/site/pacificwomenscollege/
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