Networking... How do I do it?

[11Q13]

I've been told dozens of times how important networking is (in my field, Religion, I'm assuming it's the same for all humanities), but I was never offered a course in how to do it successfully, well, or without embarrassing career ruining failure for that matter...

I'm not completely socially awkward, but I'm certainly not the life of the party. How do I network? How do you?

My specific scenario is that I graduated last year, and am in fairly regular contact with my references, but how do I get people I haven't met, in the programs I want to get into, onto my side?

[Summit_Bid]

Thanks for starting this topic. I'm also wondering the same thing.

What I'm going to do is research professors at the schools I'm applying to. I'll look for stuff they've published, spend all summer reading their work and in the fall contat them and say something like, "I'm planning on the visiting the campus since I'm interested the Ph.D. program here and was wondering if I could stop by and briefly visit with you at your office hours or sometime. I read your recent book and was really inspired and would like to talk with you about that and perhaps even the Ph.D. program" or something along these lines. If you can't visit in person perhaps you could request a phone call or at least email them. Reading their work will not only give you an idea about the faculty of the school your applying to but will alo give you something to talk about other than making it seem waaaay obvious you are there to brown nose to get into the program. People love talking about their own work and may not feel you have to talk when the prof on the other end is talking non-stop. Try to read the work of the professors whose topics of study are related to yours that way you're more interested and might think of more things to say back. You'll also build a better connection with them. Professors love meeting potential advisees who are interested in the same stuff.

Later, try to follow up with an email about something new you read by them or at least thank them. You may want to inquire about conferences they are attending or special events they might be attending on campus. If they are going to a conference you can go to and meet them yet again. You can then say something like, "Hey, remember me? I stopped by your office that one day. Great conference...." you know what I'm saying. Make small talk first and play off what they are saying to start.

After admin deadlines if you are gutsy you might want to send them a reminder like, "It was great seeing you last fall...my application # is...." I mean, don't say that right away, link your conversation back to something the person wrote or said or that really struck you as interesting and in a round about, non-desperate way, remind them you are applying. If they are on the admin committee they'll remember you or if not perhaps they'll pass your name to someone who is.

This may sound a little stalkerish but desperate times call for desperate measures right? If they act like they are too busy to meet with you, you may want to try to find out when their class is. Show up at the end of class when they are leaving. Have one of their books underneath your arms in sticking out from your bag and be like, "Oh my gosh, I think I recognize you from your book(Which you pull out from your bag). Are you professor Such and Such? What a coincidence!." Hey, it's crazy but it could work!

Make your paper rec letters come to life. What I mean is ask your current undergrad professos who they know at the schools you are applying to. Lot's of professors network. They might be able to put you in contact with someone. A personal rec from one of your undergrad professors to a current professor at your top school will get their attention. A current undergrad professor of mine called a professor he's chummy with at a school I want to go to an helped arrange a face to face meeting for me. Perhaps a prof you know could do the same.

Be classy yet bold and try to sound interested and dedicated but not desperate. Good luck!

[aginath]

Networking means making an effort to meet new people, not closing doors, and building alliances. It really is a small world and you never know who you'll meet or what influence they can have on your plans.

My best example:

A few years ago, a friend invited me to her holiday party. My husband and I went, knowing that we would know few people there, but enjoyed ourselves. The hostess introduced me to a number of people at the party, including a friend of hers who she knew had the same research interests as me. After chatting with my new friend for a few minutes, I mentioned wanting to apply to UGA; keep in mind we're in Texas. As it turned out, she and the outgoing program coordinator for my field at UGA worked on their doctoral degrees together at Syracuse. We continued visiting through the evening and she gave me her contact information. It was a lovely night and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with Judy. When I went to meet with my prospective program, one of the first things I mentioned to Dr. Reeves (the aforementioned coordinator), was that Judy sent her greetings. It was a perfect ice-breaker and you could see the disposition of the room shift significantly.

When you go to conferences, when you meet new people in the workplace, when you go to a concert, pay attention to your surroundings. Take note of the new people you meet. Networking can open all sorts of doors you thought closed and even ones you never knew where there. They can also help you out when you're stuck in a rut or just need a quick hand. Through networking, I helped a friend's son get back into college and watched him graduate a few years later. Try this resource for a starting point: http://www.rileyguide.com/network.html

[sonofcioran]

"but I was never offered a course "

Not everything in life has an intro-level course. Some things are best learned through experience and best apprehended through intuition.

That said, read Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People". You'll thank me. Having worked in business before grad school, I can safely say that academics are the most socially maladjusted group of people on earth, besides engineers and morticians.

A little bit goes a long way. I know the names of every member of the staff at my U library. They're nice folks. I say hi to them by name without any ulterior motive. Virtually no one else does that. Sometimes, that comes in handy.

Remember names. Actually being friendly is a whole lot better than faking it. People can tell the difference.

best,

-M

[yumitsjudy]

I found this video through Lifehacker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLDJG-F-maQ. I like how she emphasizes that you have to practice. Hope this helps!

[Minnesotan]

Step 1 for Humanists: Wash the patchouli off thy mangy fur.

Step 1 for Scientists: Wash the harsh chemicals off thy hands. If female, ask a humanist how to apply makeup. If male, scrape the video game callouses off your thumbs.

Step 2: Groom thyself.

Step 3: Leave thy house.

Step 4: Findest thou a human being.

Step 5: Interact with human being (without preaching about recycling, racism, or how much better it is to be a Democrat).

Step 6: Allow not too much of thy weirdness into the open at once.

Step 7: Signal vague interest in later opportunities to socialize again. (Be neither eager nor aloof.)

Step 8: Leave the social venue before thou art escorted off the premises by the noble Shirriff's men.

[belowthree]

I've found steps 2, 6 and 8 to be optional in my field. Sometimes even 3 is optional.

[Minnesotan]

I've knocked back a few too many once in a while, and almost made an end-run around #8.

[nshaw94]

Absolutely Networking is important specially in business..But shame nowadays people using Religion for business stuff..

Just be yourself then you dont have to worry on everything..