The end of the trip is coming way too soon, today we started out final presentations and also received an entertaining networking presentation from Rob Cullen at Griffith College today. Networking is an essential skill that all business students need in order to make the connections necessary for a successful career. Rob’s presentation made me realize how much i need to expand my network and that starts with my LinkedIn page and soft skills. He taught us several tips to follow at networking events and now I feel much more confident for my next networking event.
One of the universal networking techniques is to listen for what the other person has interests in and trying to find similarity. For example today Rob told us about two of his friends that found a random connection about scuba diving at a networking event and how it formed a strong connection to this day. You should always be an active listener at a networking event, people don’t want to buy something they want to meet people and socialize. Also another universal networking strategy is to keep conversation circles open at events, and to not approach closed circles. If there are a few people talking closely and there is not room to approach them they are likely about to settle on a time to grab coffee and discuss business or close a sale. On the other hand you can approach open conversations as long as you don’t close it off to other people, and globally you should always invite people you know into a conversation circle to make it appear that you have a large network.
On the other hand different cultures can approach networking differently. For instance, in some countries networking events are strictly business but in Ireland you are just “trying to sell a cup of coffee”. The business approach is very relaxed in Ireland and people enjoying socializing, so the goal is to socialize and interact with people and settle a later date to discuss business.
Some of the approaches that Rob mentioned I will implement into my networking approach. Such as reconnecting with connections, I will now always make sure to reach back out to people in my network to further the connection. For example, if someone you met mentions their favorite soccer club, the next time you see them do not ask them if they want to buy their product ask them about how their favorite teams game was. A second strategy I will implement is he said to not add a message when making connections on LinkedIn. This surprised me but apparently people are less likely to accept an invite if there is a message. In conclusion, this presentation really woke me up and made me feel prepared about my future and networking.
For the rest of the day we souvenir shopped for our family and went out to a nice dinner at Copper Alley.
