They say, "It's all about who you know." But, how do you get to know those people? You could just approach every single person who had something you wanted and ask for it, but you would end up looking opportunistic in the bad way and ingenuine. If you want networking to actually work for you, follow this plan.
Connect from the inside
Don't forget services like Facebook and LinkedIn to connect with people. This is not the appropriate place to reach out and directly ask for a meeting or interview, but it's a good place to show you aren't completely random. For example, if you have a friend who is "friends" with someone on Facebook or LinkedIn that works at the company you'd like to work at, be-friend that person! Social networks usually notify someone when a request to connect is sent who the common acquaintance is. This automatically makes you someone at least relevant.
Have a casual coffee
If you do reach out to someone, either through a friend, at a networking event or on a social media platform. Don't ask to have a "meeting." Just ask if you can grab coffee because you'd love to hear about their experiences. This way not only do you learn insider info, but you may be able to reach out to your coffee date later for a recommendation. My friend who wanted to be a voice coach at a prestigious music academy set up a coffee date with an instructor already giving singing lessons at the academy. She just asked the other coach what it was like to teach people how to sing on that property, what the committee was like, what her experience was with the company and so forth. Once my friend did get an interview with the committee, she was able to say she knew this other coach, who then gave her a nice reference.
Know everything there is to know
Before meeting with anyone, whether it is someone who could hire you or just someone at the company you're having coffee with, educate yourself as much as possible. Know the major players in the industry, be familiar with the relevant trade publications, current news and changes within the line of work and so forth and of course, the history of the particular company. This shows that you live and breathe that type of work and are pretty much ripe for the picking for a job.
Say hello a lot
Making contacts is the second most important part of networking. It's keeping up that contact that should be your first priority. Before meeting more and more new people, solidify your relationship with the ones you already know with frequent "just wanted to say hi," emails. Continued contact with you will make you more on the forefront of their mind when a job comes up that you are suited for.
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Vera Esther is a healthy living, dating and luxury lifestyle writer. She has blogged about everything from organic wine tasting to how to tell if your first date is controlling and even innovative ways to pursue hobbies like learning how to sing online with sites like http://www.bristowvoicemethod.com
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