Networking for the holidays – your new favorite tradition!
I can already hear what you’re going to say: “But Trish, I’ve been working on the job search for months! I’m exhausted, can’t I just relax and enjoy the holidays?”
Yes, absolutely! If you’re doing it right, making a conscious effort to “network” with your friends and family over the holidays can actually help you to have more meaningful conversations with the people you already know and love, and that’s fun and relaxing, isn’t it?
Hear me out.
Most of the people I work with hear the word “networking” and have traumatic flashbacks to a time when they had to wear an ill-fitting suit at some terribly awkward event where they had to wait in a long line to shake a recruiter’s hand, blurt out some basic information about their work experience, and then grab a business card before retreating to the buffet. We’ve all been there and it’s not pretty. Or fun. Or relaxing. It’s transactional, it’s impersonal, and definitely not what you want to be doing during your time off.
Plus, that’s not really networking. Actual, career-building, this-can-help-you-get-a-job networking is more about consciously putting in the time to have meaningful conversations that help you make a genuine connection with another human being. Sounds like the holidays to me!
Think about it. Have you ever had a conversation with your cousin’s husband Ted about what it is you do (or want to do)? Or what he does? How about your mom’s new neighbor? Your best friend’s little sister? Or that guy from high school that you always run into whenever you’re walking around your home town? No? Well, now is the time my friend.
If you take a few moments to perfect your career story (or elevator pitch as the folks in recruiting call it) before you head home for the holidays, you’ll be ready to give everyone you chat with a good idea of what you do, what you want to do, and maybe, just maybe, they’ll be able to help you get closer to your dream job. At the very least, sharing your story will likely open the door to a lot more personal, in-depth conversations than if you stuck to talking about the weather, football, or how dry the turkey was.
Coming up with your career story only takes a few minutes. You can do this at the airport, on the Amtrak, or from the passenger seat:
1. Who am I and what do I do?
The first part should give people a general idea of what you do and what you’re good at. Since you’ll probably be talking with people from all kinds of professions, try to keep it in language that most people can understand.
“I’m in an MBA program at NYU Stern, concentrating in sustainable business. Before business school I was a consultant at Deloitte helping companies to be more efficient. Now I’m learning how I can use my consulting skills to help companies develop more sustainable supply chains.”
2. Something specific and interesting that demonstrates your expertise.
The second part should give them a little more detail to help them further understand what you do, demonstrate your expertise, and should also be interesting enough to invite further conversation. This is the part they’re most likely to remember, so pick something good.
“I spent the summer at Keebler helping them to map out and evaluate their chocolate suppliers. It was really interesting and I got to learn a lot about fair trade, sustainable product certification, and deforestation.”
3. How they can help.
This is the part where you can help them understand how they fit into your story.
“I really loved my project at Keebler and it’s the kind of work I’d like to do after school, so I’m trying to meet more people who work for food companies or do work in supply chain.”
Some people will then just jump right into a direct ask for help like “Do you know anyone I could talk to?” which is fine for shorter conversations, but if it looks like you might be able to chat for a bit, you might save that part until the end. Give them a chance to ask questions and learn more about what you want to do before asking them to think about who they know that could help.
Don’t forget to also ask thoughtful questions about what they do too. Even if it’s not relevant to your job search, you’ll learn more about someone you care about and maybe you could even help connect them to someone great. Remember, networking (done right) is about developing relationships that are mutually beneficial.
An added bonus is that you’ll be practicing your elevator pitch with people who know and like you, so it will give you plenty of experience talking about your career and job search in a low-pressure setting. That practice will really help with your nerves when it’s time to start reaching out to strangers or people you don’t know as well.
Now, doesn’t a little networking sound like a nice way to pass the time during the holidays?
