This document provides networking questions to ask when meeting potential employers at conferences or career fairs. It recommends asking questions like "What do you do?", "Do you enjoy it?", "How did you get there?", "What could be better?", "Can I contact you?", and "Who else can I talk to?" to learn about the person's work experience and network without seeming like your only goal is to promote yourself. The most important things are to have a genuine conversation and focus on what the other person says, rather than just asking questions to further your own job search. Practicing these networking skills can help you find the right job opportunities.

1. Networking questions to find the best employers
Meeting someone at a conference isn’t enough – you have to be
prepared to ask the right questions to find the right people.
Networking as a job hunter – in a conference, careers fair, or anywhere else – can be really challenging.
You’re under pressure to be pleasant and interesting company, and to sell yourself without seeming like
that’s your only motive to talk to someone. If you manage that, how do you even know if you’re talking to
the right person?
Of course, asking the questions is only half of the job – you have to listen carefully to the answers,
encourage a two-way conversation (you’re not interviewing anyone) and give your own perspective. But
the questions are a good start. So, here’s 6 questions that will help you network as a jobhunter, without
sacrificing a good conversation.
“What do you do?”
It’s timeless – a classic – the Citizen Kane of networking questions. This is fairly self-explanatory, but
generally finding out what someone does, who they work for, and how that can apply to you will the basis
of the rest of your conversation. You have to start somewhere, and this is your best bet.
“Do you enjoy it?”
This is a question with its roots in the second part of our agenda – maintaining an interesting
conversation. This will allow you to have a personable chat about work without forcing yourself in, and
open up a much broader platform to go into the details.
“How did you get there?”
Learning about a person’s professional history can be interesting in itself, but you’re also learning about
their network – just because they work for a company now that you’re not interested in, doesn’t mean
they always worked there, and they’ll still have contacts elsewhere. Listen carefully.
“What could be better?”
This is an opportunity for you to highlight your own skills, if they’re relevant, and for you to learn a little
more about the company in general – what’s good, what’s bad, and where you think you might be able to
fit in. Effectively, this is a possible start for your self-marketing pitch.
“Can I contact you?”
This is simply good networking practise – exchange business cards, numbers, or email addresses of
everyone you think might be even slightly helpful. Even if they might not be immediately relevant to you,
they could be at some point in the future. So don’t be shy – get as many contact details as you can.

2. “Who else can I talk to?”
This is your closing point – to get the contact details and information on someone else who may be able
and interested in hiring you. After this, get in touch and mention who referred you – having a credible
mutual contact makes a whole world of difference.
Of course, all of these talking points are no substitute for a genuine, honest conversation – it’s more
important to enjoy the talk you’re having, concentrate on what the other person is telling you, and be
entertaining in what you’re telling them.
Having good soft skills and a talent for conversation will work much more in your favour than aggressively
presenting yourself to everyone you talk to. It’s a delicate balance to get right, and the only way to do it is
to practise. So ask the right questions to the right people, and maybe you’ll find yourself applying for the
right job.