What are the best tips for networking events as a student?

How to prepare for a networking event, what to say and ask, why the follow-up question matters most, coffee chats, LinkedIn, following up, and how to network if you are the quiet one.

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The best tips for a networking event as a student are to research one or two people before you go, know what you want from each conversation, listen closely enough to ask a good follow-up question, and follow up within a few days. The Australian Government's Job Jumpstart describes networking as building and developing professional relationships that can help you reach your employment goals.

What is networking, and why does it matter for students?

Job Jumpstart lists three forms of networking: joining professional associations, going to formal networking or business events, and building relationships online or through the people you already know. It says a network of professional contacts helps you understand a career or industry, find future opportunities and land a job.

The University of Wollongong's careers team sums it up as who you know, and who knows you. The more people who understand what you are trying to do, the more of them can help you do it.

How do you start networking if you know nobody in the industry?

Start with the people you already know. Youth Central, a Victorian Government site for young people, says networking can be as simple as talking to someone you know about looking for work. Ask people where they work and what they do, listen to the answer and ask questions. Its list of people to start with:

  • your family, your friends and their families
  • people you work, volunteer or play sport with
  • teachers and members of clubs you belong to.

When someone has a job you are curious about, ask if you can get in touch later with more questions, and whether they know anyone else they could introduce you to.

How do you prepare for a networking event?

Spend 10 minutes on LinkedIn before you go. Look at who is attending or which firms will be there, pick one person you want to talk to and read their profile properly. Look for:

  • where they worked before this role
  • something they posted recently that you found interesting
  • a degree that has little to do with what they do now.

Any of those gives you an opening the person has not already heard that evening.

Then write down what you want from the conversation. Job Jumpstart says to know your networking goals, including what information you are after and how others might help, and to plan the questions that will get you that information. In the end you may want a job. Nobody hires you off a coffee chat, so set a smaller aim for a first conversation: how they got into their role, what a graduate year in their team looks like, or what they wish they had known at uni. Once you know what you are after, the right questions follow.

Last, practise a short introduction. Job Jumpstart suggests a 30 second pitch on who you are and what you do or want to do, used as a conversation starter. The University of Wollongong says to be ready to talk specifically about what you study and what interests you, even if those are still ideas, and to practise saying it out loud. Job Jumpstart also points to personal presentation: your clothes, how you speak and how you come across on social media.

What should you say when you walk up to someone?

Your name, your degree and the thing you found in your research. A few openers built that way:

  • "Hi, I'm Sam, I'm in second year commerce. I saw you studied psychology before you went into tax. How did that happen?"
  • "I read your post about your team's graduate rotation. How do graduates choose where they go?"
  • "You worked in a start-up before joining the bank. What was the biggest change?"

Leave out the rapid-fire pair most students reach for: "What does your day-to-day look like?" followed by "How did you get into the industry?" before the first answer has finished. The person has probably answered both several times already that night, and generic questions put you in the same pile as every other student in the room.

What questions should you ask at a networking event?

Ask questions the person enjoys answering and that you want the answer to. The University of Wollongong suggests these for a career conversation:

  • How did you come to be in this role?
  • What do you enjoy most about it?
  • What are the challenges, and how do you handle them?
  • What type of person does well in this industry?
  • Do you have any advice for me?
  • Is there anyone else doing this sort of work you think I should talk to?

Two more worth having ready: what does a graduate year in your team look like, and what do you wish you had known at uni?

Why do follow-up questions matter so much?

The biggest mistake at networking events is not listening. If you ask someone how they ended up in banking and they mention they started in consulting, your next question is "What made you switch?" That beats whatever you had lined up. People can tell quickly whether you are interested in their answer or working through a list, and the person who follows up is the one they remember.

Treat it the way you would treat a mate telling you about their weekend. You would respond to what they said before talking about yours. Job Jumpstart's version: try not to interrupt, show interest in what people are saying, and keep your posture and body language positive.

What is a coffee chat?

A coffee chat is a short one-on-one conversation with someone in a job you are curious about. The University of Wollongong calls it an informational interview: a 10 to 20 minute chat to learn about the person, their career path, their organisation and their industry, and to get their advice on your direction. You are mainly asking for advice and information, and you may hear about opportunities along the way.

It suggests mapping out people in roles that interest you, such as someone in the job you would like in five years, someone in a related industry or someone self-employed in your field, and aiming for 6 to 10 of these chats. Prepare by learning about their organisation and writing a list of questions. If someone referred you, open with their name, then what you study and a request for 15 minutes over a coffee at a time that suits them.

A good coffee chat can lead to an application and later an interview. When it does, our guide to the STAR method shows how to answer behavioural interview questions.

How do you network on LinkedIn?

Youth Central's advice for online networking is to build good connections with a few key people, because sending lots of messages to strangers risks annoying people. Keep a first message short: who you are, why you are contacting them in particular, and one question. Mention the thing you read on their profile.

UTS Careers suggests LinkedIn as a way past the fear of starting a conversation in person, with a prepared template for your first message.

How do you follow up after a networking event?

While the conversation is fresh, write down who you spoke to and what you learned. Within a few days, send a short message. The University of Wollongong suggests reminding the person where you met and asking for a time to talk about their role and industry. Thank anyone who gave you their time, and connect on LinkedIn if it fits. Job Jumpstart adds one rule: if you say you will call, do it.

Then stay in touch. Youth Central says people you stay in regular contact with are more likely to remember you when an opportunity comes up. The University of Wollongong suggests an update every few months on how your studies or career are going.

Give back where you can. Youth Central's examples are telling someone about a job they might like, introducing people in your network to each other, and sending a short thank you whenever someone helps you.

How do you network if you are the quiet one?

For events, UTS Careers suggests starting small. Rehearse with a friend or family member playing an industry professional, then practise on people you already see each week, such as someone in your lecture. Prepare a couple of icebreakers or personal stories for when you get stuck. Keep your body language open: stand tall, smile and relax your arms and shoulders. A smaller society event or a single coffee chat is a good place to start before a big careers fair.

Work is a different social setting. You are paid to be there, you are surrounded by people you did not choose, and it can feel as if you need to earn the right to be casual before you can relax. The easy response is to stay quiet, eat lunch at your desk and decide everyone already thinks you are awkward.

The fix is the small moments. Say good morning when you walk in. Ask someone in the kitchen how their weekend was. Say yes to the after-work thing, even if you would rather go home. None of this asks you to become a different person. Our guide to making friends at work covers the first months in a job.

Where can students find networking events?

  • Your university's careers fairs, employer information sessions and faculty events.
  • Student society events.
  • Professional and industry associations. The Queensland Government suggests contacting your industry association for face-to-face events and searching online for local conferences and workshops.
  • Job expos, which the Queensland Government suggests for meeting employers and education providers.
  • The union that covers the industry you want to work in, which Youth Central suggests for events.
  • Volunteering in an area you are interested in, also on Youth Central's list.

At any of them, introduce yourself to people you do not know.

Sources

First ran in the BSoc Bulletin (The unspoken rules of networking and Are you the quiet one at work?) and the Capital W Bulletin.

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