3. WHERE DOES NETWORKING HAPPEN?
⢠Chance meetings (i.e. sitting
beside someone on an
airplane)
⢠Facilitated events (company
info sessions, networking
events)
⢠As a result of a direct request
4. INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS: WHY?
1. Get your foot in the door (faster)
2. Gain insight about a company, industry, or career path
3. Practice your interview and networking skills
4. Find a potential mentor
5. Show them who you are beyond your resume and cover
letter
5. INFO INTERVIEW ASSIGNMENT
10% of your final
grade
Due Thursday April
14th
Minimum of one page
In-person and not
current UBC
student/staff/faculty
or family member
⢠Contact details (name, company, title, phone,
email
⢠List of questions asked
⢠Major insights gained â What did you learn during
your informational interview? **This is the most
important part, should be 40% of final paper.
⢠Did you request/receive any information
regarding additional connections?
⢠Follow up action â What will you do to maintain
this connection? *Screen shot of thank you email
required
⢠What are your next steps having conducted this
information interview?
assignment guidelines
6. NEXT STEPS TO LAND YOUR INFO
INTERVIEW
1. Find 4 or 5 potential contacts â WHERE?!
2. Research them (Google, LinkedIn) and reach out to
contacts you have in common
3. Decide what you want to talk to them about and
brainstorm questions and points of commonality
4. Send out your invites! Donât be offended if they donât
immediately reply
8. COMM 202 NETWORKING + REFLECTION
⢠Alumni, senior students, and local professionals convening for an
evening of networking with this semesterâs COMM 202 students
⢠Excellent opportunity to practice and refine your networking skills
and learn more about how to make the most of your time at
Sauder!
SAVE THE DATE:
COMM202 Networking Event
Thursday, March 10th from 6-8PM
10
9. REFLECTION PAPER ASSIGNMENT
⢠Your goals in attending the event
o What is your purpose in going? Define SMART goals
beforehand
⢠How did you prepare for the event (research
potential delegates)?
⢠A brief summary of who you spoke with (3+
convos) and what you learned in the
conversations
⢠A reflection on the lessons you have learned
about the networking process
⢠Next steps you will take to continue building a
assignment requirements
10% of your final
grade
Due Monday March
14th
Minimum of one page
Submit to Turnitin by
11:59PM
10. RESEARCHING CONTACTS
⢠Be sure to check out the delegate info on the
course blog
⢠Skim the LinkedIn profiles of delegates youâd like
to speak to
o Note any interesting topics youâd like to know
more about
o Hone in on similar experiences or shared groups
o Think about questions to ask
⢠During the event, be interested without being
I had a chance to look
at your LinkedIn profile,
and I was really
interested to learn
aboutâŚ
11. DRESSING THE PART
⢠The networking event is Business Casual. What does that mean to
you?
12. DRESSING THE PART
⢠For ladies:
o Dress pants, khaki pants,
dark denim, or skirts
(hemline just above your
knees or longer!)
o Blouse, dressy tank with a
cardigan or blazer, or
collared shirt (avoid
spaghetti strap tops)
o Flats or low heels
13. DRESSING THE PART
⢠For guys:
o Dress pants, nice
khakis, or dark denim
o Collared shirt
(patterned or plaid is
fine!), jacket if you like
o Dress shoes or loafers
14. DRESS FOR SUCCESS
⢠Research the
event dress
code if you
arenât sure
what it
means!
17. THE APPROACH
Avoiding the awkward:
⢠Donât interrupt. When joining a
networking circle, wait for a lull in the
conversation.
⢠Never have food and a drink, you need a
free hand to shake!
⢠Go with a wingman! But not a Siamese
twin
18. INTRODUCE YOURSELF
Just simply say hi!
⢠Hi, my nameâs Alison, Alison Buchanan.
⢠Hi Alison, itâs nice to meet you. My nameâs Andy.
Show youâre interested in talking to them
⢠Hi Andy itâs great to meet you as well. I was actually hoping to chat
with you this evening as I noticed on your LinkedIn profile that
youâŚand I would love to hear more about your experience.
Start the conversation. Ask a question / have them talk about
themselves / Stay positive
⢠Do you have any advice for studentsâŚlooking to make the most of
their time at Sauder? âŚlooking for a career in your field?
19. CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION
⢠LISTEN
⢠Be careful not to monopolize peoplesâ time
⢠Listen for facts, feelings, free information and implied
statements
⢠Introduce others, tying them into the conversation
⢠Identify commonalities
⢠Ask open ended questions
20. THE GRACEFUL EXIT
⢠Spend 5 to 10 minutes with one person; wait for a lull
⢠Excuse yourself kindly and assertively:
o âIt was nice to meet youâ
o âIâm glad you were here today. Itâs been great chatting with you.
Thanks so much.â
o âI donât want to monopolize all your time today. Thank you for taking
time to speak with me and I hope you enjoy the rest of the event.â
⢠Shake hands and exchange cards or ask to connect (if the
conversation was meaningful)
21. FOLLOW IT UP
⢠After great conversations, send a personalized email or
LinkedIn request (or maybe an informational interview
request? ď )
Hi Sabrina,
It was so great to get the chance to speak with you at last nightâs
networking event. I was really inspired by what you said about âbuilding
your personal brandâ, and I am looking forward to putting your advice into
practice.
I would love to continue our conversation about your experience at YVR. I
understand that you are very busy, but it would be great to meet for about
20 minutes. Would you be available to meet on Monday or Tuesday next
week? Coffee is on me!
Thank you,
23. 202 NETWORKING EVENT PET PEEVES
1. Asking questions and not listening to the
answer
2. Asking rapid-fire questions so no one else
can speak
3. When a personâs outfit is distractingly
unprofessional
4. When students only talk about their option
choices or career path! Try connecting over
24. 202 NETWORKING EVENT: PRO TIPS!
1. Eat dinner beforehand
2. Do some research on the delegates, but donât get
consumed in stalking every LinkedIn profile
3. Dress classy and comfortably
4. Have a few interesting questions / topics to chat
about ready to go. How do you want to be
remembered?
5. When all else fails, find a 202 TA and weâll help you
join a circle
6. Head to an area that is less packed
25. ACTION ITEMS!
Resume & Cover Letter due
March 8th @ 2:00PM (Turnitin +
COOL)
Networking Event Thursday March
10th 6-8PM
o Networking Reflection due Monday, March
14th @11:59pm on Turnitin
Last chance for office hours!
Puppy of the week
8
Editor's Notes
TA Feedback: mention the comments on Turnitin and recap how they can find them
The ultimate goal: landing the info interview
How to connect via others on LI (start thinking about info interviews, meet someone at the networking event); short term event networking
Rubric
Event prep:
Dressing the part
Description of the upcoming event (CPA Hall, paint a picture)
Reflection paper slide
Researching contacts
Approaching groups
Handshakes
Conversation topics; finding commonality
Activities: get in circles, practice hand shakes, practice introductions
Let them discuss before showing them the text
Note that we will be specifically zeroing in on facilitated events and âdirect requestâ networking
While this slide is up, would be cool just to share a personal story you had with info interview success
Also mention that for the 202 assignment, their purpose can be: âI want to make a more informed career/option choiceâ
Only needs to be one-page
Check out the VERY DETAILED instructions on the blog
Deadline is far away but invites should begin going out now
Lead the discussion on where they can look for contacts (events, Alumni search on LinkedIn, getting connected through friends or the BCC, friends of the familyâŚ)
There is a whole list of questions on the blog + Michelle is going over info interviews in depth in lecture
Give some guidelines on invites (but thereâs a sample later on in the slides)
Show blog post of names attending
Demo this, especially if you have not yet taught the LinkedIn class
Explain how different events have different dress codes, i.e. some info sessions are BUSINESS FORMAL. What is the difference? Note that the internet is a great resource; the BCC Pinterest have put together some boards for âoutfit inspoâ
Web to web â strong, firm handshake. Web of both hands should connect. Have them practice.
Eye colour â when meeting someone you should make enough eye contact to be able to walk away knowing the colour of their eyes
Comfy shoes â for girls! A lot of standing around so make sure you wear comfy shoes
Clothes that stand out â EVERYONE will be in black suits. It is important to suit up but change it up with cool shirts, ties, grey suit etc. No perfume/cologne, breathmints not gum, no coffee, long skirts.
Nametag â always goes on your right (the same side you shake hands with). As you go to shake someones hand to intro yourself that side of your chest sticks out more.
Smile â nothing worse than someone who doesnât look interested or passionate or excited about the conversation. It is hard to say no to a smiling idiot.
Ask: Whatâs your strategy to approach?
First 2 points self explanatory
First point â approach across from the professional, not next to them because they wonât notice you.
Third point â go with a wingman at first. A lot easier, less stressful and more natural to engage in 3 way conversation. Often in 2 way conversation you spend so much time trying to think of the next question to ask that you donât pay attention to what they are saying to you right now. With 2 of you there one person can talk while the other thinks etcâŚ..BUT DONâT STICK WITH YOUR BUDDY THE WHOLE TIME. You donât want the professionals thinking you are dependent and canât function without them.
Share your personal experiences here (you probably have some funny stories)
Repeat their name
ACTIVITY: try doing a handshake, introduction + a few opening questions
Tennis practice: keep the ball moving
Do we need examples of questions? Should this be a list or a link to more questions
OR activity to brainstorm good questions and share/ask each other
Demo this? Especially the business card ask. Or maybe have them try.
Reiterate that people at the event are unlikely to have business cards, but they can pave the way for a LinkedIn connection
Make sure they know that a thank you is fine! We donât always need to push for additional face-time
Also think about how YOU can add value for that contact â itâs not just about what they can do for you
20 minutes rationale + choice between two positives
Explain check in when they arrive (either end); if late register in front of BCC
MUST do this to receive credit for assignment
Unsecured coat check
Donât need to stay for the entire event; hard close at 8PM
So, practice active listening and have intelligent follow up questions
Share the stage with your group, introduce them, wing man for each other
Last semester, the only question I was asked was âI saw you are in BTM â can you explain what that is?â
Remind them that theyâll need to check in and should bring minimal items to coat check
Check out the delegate name tag table if they really want to know if theyâre there
AFTER MAR 8: Replace Resume/CL note with: Sign up for your mock interview via COOL
Or find your Info Interview + Sign up for your mock interview