Guide to Virtual Networking

You’ve probably been overwhelmed by constant news notifications and statistics about the decreasing job market, perhaps you weren’t able to get an internship or job for this summer, or your program got canceled due to the current situation, and you are nervous about available opportunities in the future. This uncertainty is prompting a lot of nerves for college students about to enter the job market, who feel like all of a sudden, they are being forced to put their lives on pause.

No need to fret! There is stuff you can do right now from home to help give you a leg up once hiring picks up again.

Yep, you guessed it, NETWORKING.

If you know me, you know that networking is up there on my list of favorite social interactions (and one I miss desperately at the moment). Just as a little background, most of my experience networking has been in the business and finance industries, but it’s such an easily transferable skill across industries (and social situations)!

What is networking?

Simply put, networking is making connections with people in industries you’re considering going into to help you in your career.

My networking philosophy:

It’s your career!! You should want to learn as much as you can from people in industries you’re curious about in order to make better-equipped decisions about your next move.
If you’re talking to someone who has a job you could see yourself enjoying or are interested in, you should be genuinely curious about learning more. SO, your conversations and questions should be GENUINE.
You are going to be working with the types of people you’re speaking to every day, so if talking to them is like pulling teeth, you may want to re-think the industry you’re looking into.
If they’re taking the time to talk to you, they want to help! That being said, people are busy, so don’t waste their time with pointless conversations - that’s when they lose interest.

First, how to figure out which industries you may be interested in working in:

Start by thinking about your dream job. Shoot for the stars on this one. Look it up on Linkedin or Google and take a look at how people in those positions got there. Explore those industries. See if any of that interests you, but keep in mind that there’s no one right way to get somewhere!
Alternatively, if a dream job doesn’t exist, start by thinking about what you like and what people in your major do after college.

How to find people:

People you have something in common with (especially college) are more likely to want to help you! Once you have some ideas about jobs you may want or industries you’re interested in exploring, this is where our toolbox comes in handy. Use these tools to find people who work at companies or in industries you’re interested in.

Linkedin:
- Linkedin is an amazing resource to find people. You can begin by searching by job or company through Tufts’ alumni pages or by searching Tufts within each company’s employee page.

Tufts Alumni Network:
- This is also an incredible resource because it has all the names, phone numbers, email addresses, and job titles of almost every single Tufts alumni.

Your Personal Network:
- Parents, aunts, cousins’ cousins, grandparents’ friends, neighbors, friends’ parents, professors, teachers, or anyone you have a social connection with !!!

Before reaching out:

Make sure your internet profile is all clean. It’s likely that they will look you up.
It’s a good idea to keep your Linkedin updated and professional! (Recent, clear, and appropriate picture, experience thoroughly listed)

How to reach out: Always email first if available!

Try Google-ing around for their emails, or if they work at a large company, emails are generally easy to guess (firstnamelastname@companyname.com, firstname.lastname@company.com, etc.)

How to email:

Subject line: Career Question from Tufts (Major) Major
Sample email:

Dear Mr./Ms. (last name),
I hope you and your family are doing well in these crazy times. My name is (name) and I am a (grade) at Tufts University studying (major). I am interested in working in (industry), and am particularly interested in exploring (more specific thing that they have experience in). While looking into (thing mentioned above), I found your profile on Linkedin and was very interested in (something specific).
I would love to hear about your experience working in (industry), do you have any time in the next couple of weeks to schedule a 15-30 minute phone call?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my message.
Best,
(your full name)
(school) University, Class of (year)
(Major(s))

Keep it clear and concise!!

How to chat on the phone:

Be prepared with a 30-second to 1-minute “elevator pitch” for yourself including:
- Name
- School year
- Where you’re from
- Major
- Clubs you’re in
- Why you’re interested in the industry, could include past internship or job experiences
Make sure to come up with a list of questions beforehand to cover everything you want to know- you may not get a chance to speak with them again soon for a while if at all.
Read up on what’s going on in the industry beforehand in case they ask you any questions - you can even reference it in a question to hear their thoughts on something.
Make it a real conversation, don’t just ask a stream of questions or be afraid to go a bit off topic. They may ask questions about things you have in common, answer honestly- this is how the best connections are made!
Take some notes during your conversation to reference in future conversations.
You can ask to be put in touch with other people, but read the room.
Better to keep short than to have it unnecessarily trail on.
Thank them for taking time out of their busy schedules to speak with you !!

Follow-up email:

Send a follow-up email within 24 hours to thank them and show you paid attention

Dear (the name they told you to use in email / on the call),
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. It was incredibly insightful. I found (specific detail from convo) extremely interesting. Your advice on (advice given) was really useful and I will begin (doing what they said) in the (time frame).
I’m so glad I was able to speak with you and I will keep you updated on my progress navigating (the industry).
All the best,
(your full name)
(school) University, Class of (year)
(Major(s))

Other Tips:

Keep a spreadsheet where you keep track of everyone you’ve networked with including:
- names, emails, phone numbers, jobs, little anecdotes (where they live, if they have kids, hobbies you have in common), whether they seemed helpful, what they helped you with, etc. to be able to reference in future conversations.
Update them on what you’ve been up to, (if you got an internship or job, graduated…) and thank them for the impact they’ve had on your path a few times a year to keep them in your circle.
Never ask for a job. Rather, tell them you’re looking for one and ask for their advice on how to better position yourself. They’ll get the hint, don’t push them.
If you’ve applied to an internship or job at the company they work at, tell them! Don’t ask for help, but ask them questions about the company’s culture, the job itself and anything else you’re curious about. It’ll make you seem interested and if they like you, they’ll flag your resume with HR.
They know you’re young, they don’t expect you to know everything! Don’t pretend you do, they can see right through that!
ENJOY YOURSELF! People want to help you and if they see you’re genuinely interested they’ll only want to help you more!