By @AlainaGLevine "Networking for Nerds" - hint on how to network successfully at conference - geared to engineers and scientists.

2. To Adjust Your Volume

3. To ask a question, please select the QA
tab and click “Ask New Question”

4. To download a copy of the handouts,
select the Papers tab.

5. If you need technical support at
anytime, please select the ‘Help’ tab

6. © Alaina G. Levine, 2016 @AlainaGLevine
Alaina G. Levine
President, Quantum Success Solutions
Author, Networking for Nerds (Wiley, 2015)
Society of Women Engineers
23 February 2016

7. @AlainaGLevine
• Over 34,000 Students and Professionals
• Sections, Regions & Members-at-large
• Professional Development Conferences and Seminars
• Networking and Mentoring Opportunities
• National Recognition Programs
• K-12 Outreach Education
2

8. @AlainaGLevine
• This webinar has been accredited with .1 CEUs from the
International Association for Continuing Education and
Training (IACET).
• In order to earn CEUs during this event, you must be
active and engaged throughout the entire webinar.
Examples of ways to be and stay engaged include
participating in:
• Polling questions
• Q&A
• Survey
3

9. @AlainaGLevine
• Clarify goals for attending
• Learn how to identify and leverage opportunities for
networking before, during and after a conference
• Prepare before, during and after
• Execute the strategic plan professionally
• Discover how to keep the conversations going with people
that you meet at a conference
• Design your own post-conference check list

10. @AlainaGLevine
• Present a talk/paper/poster
• Find a job
• Network
• Learn more about your field/other fields
• Learn about opps for career growth
• Gain professional skills
• Amplify your brand, reputation
• Learn about industry trends
• Meet decision-makers

11. @AlainaGLevine
• Learning about your industry
• Learning about your profession
• Discovering new industries, professions, ecosystems
• Networking and finding new partners
• Discovering how you can add value to others’
organizations and teams

12. @AlainaGLevine
• Collegiate Leaders
• Engineering Leaders
• Speakers
• Company reps at the Career Fair
• SWE Leadership
Bottom line: Any person you engage is a potential ally,
collaborator, and decision-maker!

13. @AlainaGLevine
Pre-Conference Check List

14. @AlainaGLevine
• Read through the Program carefully
• Identify technical, business, professional dev talks, posters
• Identify and register for special events
• Career events – talks and Meet and Greets
• Networking events
• Town Halls
• Early-career-centered events
• Celebrate SWE!
• Exhibit Hall/Trade Show
• Career Fair and Career/Job Center
• Poster Farm

15. @AlainaGLevine
• Identify Exhibitors and map out who you want to
visit
• Identify key people you want to meet (speakers,
board members, exhibitors, recruiters, etc.)
• Contact them in advance, ask for a coffee
meeting
• Have a schedule handy – use Meeting App

16. @AlainaGLevine
• Prepare potentially multiple versions of your resume
• Upload your resume to Career Center
• Prepare your brand statement/30 sec commercial
(several versions)
• Business Cards
• Tablet with resume/CV and other docs
• Wear professional clothing
• Comfortable shoes – preferably not sneakers
• Stationery…

17. @AlainaGLevine
Have a great attitude – before, during and
after
This is not a chore, it’s a privilege and a
happy moment!
Celebrate SWE!
Celebrate WE!

18. @AlainaGLevine
• Conference App will be your BFF
• Follow Twitter Feed, start posting:
• @[Society Twitter handle]
• #[Conference hashtag]
• Facebook Page: join and post
• LinkedIn Group: join, post, contact

19. @AlainaGLevine
• Networking is a spectrum of activities
• ACT – don’t wait for someone to introduce themselves to
you
• Take advantage of opps to network
• Go up, smile, shake hands, say your name, say their
name, look them in the eye
• Ask an opening line q – what is your area of expertise?

20. @AlainaGLevine
• Show up to talks early:
• “expiration networking”
• Go up to the speaker at the
end and introduce yourself
• The Ladies Room Line
RULES
• The Career Fair ROCKS
• With company reps
• While waiting in line
• While migrating through

21. @AlainaGLevine
• Have your biz cards do “double duty”
• During lunches, at conference or nearby
restaurants, ask “is anyone sitting here?”
• Grab Dr. God while you can!

22. @AlainaGLevine
The Conference
serves as a
Networking Node

23. @AlainaGLevine
• Be strategic…
• But also be flexible – look and allow for interesting talks,
new opps, impromptu meetings with speakers, etc.
• Plan time into your schedule
for ad hoc meetings
• Keep your eye out for
Message Board, flyers,
tweets, and other
announcements
• Watch your alcohol intake

24. @AlainaGLevine
The conference is not about the food
nor trick or treating

25. @AlainaGLevine
Volunteering:
The Secret Treasure

26. @AlainaGLevine
Post-Conference Check List

27. @AlainaGLevine
• Don’t throw away your
awesome name tag
holder!
• Keep that Conference app
on your mobile!
• Tweet out how great it was
• Make a note on their biz
cards what you discussed

28. @AlainaGLevine
• Review social media accounts from the conference
• Twitter: What sessions were people tweeting, with #?
• Facebook
• LinkedIn: Related Groups, People (to Follow, to Connect
with), industries, companies
• Who did you NOT get a chance to meet?
• What exhibitors/companies did you NOT interact with?
• Make quick notes about the sessions you attended,
experiences you had, people you met/saw speak

29. @AlainaGLevine
• Write out thank you notes with that cool stationery you
brought!
• Plan out who you are going to follow up with and when,
according to your own schedule
• Digest, ruminate, relax and smile – you did an awesome
job!

30. @AlainaGLevine
• Organize your new contacts
• Send out “nice to meet you” emails
• Request longer appointments
• Informational interviews
• Informal conversations
• Exploration of collaboration and contributions
• Invite to Connect on LI (customize!)
• Thank you cards – for special meetings/opps at the conf

31. @AlainaGLevine
• Start having your informational interview appointments
• Reach out to those who you did NOT meet, whom you
know were there (such as speakers, panelists, SWE
Leadership)
• Look through the SWE membership directory for contact
info
• If you volunteered: circle back, file report, send thank
you to your contact

32. @AlainaGLevine
Share the Value!
• Write a blog post about your experience
• Write an article about it for your student newspaper
• Volunteer to present your experience and tips to your chapter,
section
• Plan to organize a chapter event or section conference with
tools, skills, and contacts you gained
Tips:
• Why not interview people who attended?
• Why not ask them to speak at your school?
• Why not help them recruit at your university?

33. @AlainaGLevine
• Remind them the context of your original meeting
• Introduce new info about you
• Introduce new info about them
• Provide them something of value
• Give them an action item

34. @AlainaGLevine
• Find out about volunteer opportunities

35. @AlainaGLevine
• Review the speaker line-up
• Start making your schedule
• Email:
• Those you met last time
• Those who are speaking
• Those who you think might be attending
• Other collegiate!
• Ask for 15 min, coffee appointments
• Get ready to rock

36. @AlainaGLevine
• The amount of value you get out of a conference is
directly related to how much you put into it
• Research and prepare in advance
• Have a plan, with flexibility
• Even if you miss a talk, don’t meet a person or can’t
attend the conference itself you can still gain and provide
value
• Follow up strategically
• Once you have a connection, it lasts a lifetime!

37. @AlainaGLevine
NETWORKING FOR NERDS (WILEY, 2015)
QUANTUM SUCCESS SOLUTIONS
ALAINA@ALAINALEVINE.COM
WWW.ALAINALEVINE.COM
QUANTUMSUCCESSSOLUTIONS
@ALAINAGLEVINE
“ALAINA’S ALUMNI”
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© Alaina G. Levine, 2016