There are many steps you can take to become a great networker and establish valuable, lasting professional relationships throughout your life.

Remember People’s Names

When you’re introduced to someone new, it’s not always easy to immediately commit his/her name to memory. The following tricks can help with that.

• Repeat the person’s name two or three times.
• Make an association between their name and something or someone else.

Make Small Talk or Conversation

It’s important to be able to initiate or carry a conversation with people. If you don’t feel particularly adept at that, try to of some questions ahead of time that will help generate a dialogue or keep it going. But try to avoid controversial topics such as politics and religion. Below is a list of possible subjects, and a related question for each:

• Work:“What was the first job you ever had?”
• Entertainment:“What’s your favorite TV show?”
• Food:“What’s your favorite comfort food?”
• Travel:“Where is the last place you traveled to?”
• Life story: “What is one of your hidden talents?”

Approach People Who Are Senior to You

While the idea of reaching out to someone who has a higher-level job than you might be intimidating, those connections can sometimes be extremely valuable. Here are some ways to go about it:

• See if someone you both know can make an introduction.If that's not possible, try approaching them directly (e.g., e-mail, LinkedIn message, etc.)
• Keep your communications professional and succinct.
• Take cues from that person about their style and adapt yours to match it. (i.e., formal, laid back, etc.)
• Be clear about your skills and expertise.
• Create a simple agenda to guide in-person or virtual/phone conversations to ensure they're as productive as possible.
• Be sure to follow-up with a thank you note within 24 hours of your meeting.

With all of this said, it's also still important not to assume that only people in positions more senior than yours can help you. It can be just as productive to network with people who are either at the same level or even junior to you, or who don’t have as much experience.

Use Proper Networking Etiquette

As with any social encounter, it’s important to follow appropriate etiquette — such as:

• Make a positive first impression. Demonstrate good manners and personal hygiene, maintain eye contact and avoid interrupting.
• Move from "guest behavior" to "host behavior." This doesn't mean you should literally invite them over. Rather, work to make them feel welcome, express gratitude for their time and treat them with the utmost respect.
• Look for places in your conversation to say something nice the other person without being disingenuous. Not everyone is regularly acknowledged or appreciated by those around them and you may be surprised how far a few genuine, kind words can go.
• Be professional when using e-mail, and try to use the word “you” more often than the word “I” as a way of indicating gratitude.
• Anyone with whom you’ve spent more than 15 minutes should be acknowledged afterward with a thank you note or other communication.
• If you say you’ll do something such as sending your resume, a link to an online article, etc. do it in a timely manner. This is a great way to solidify a positive first impression you've already made.

Not sure how to get started with your networking? Read here.

Updated 2024

Adapted from 2017 National Conference Presentation by Julie Jansen