Networking is a life-long skill that is as critical to the job search as it is to professional success. F&ES provides ample opportunities to build and expand upon your existing network of colleagues, mentors, family and friends.

The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity. -- Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets To Success, One Relationship At A Time

What is Networking and How Do I Do It?

"A good network is a circle of friends."--Nick Corcodilos, asktheheadhunter.com

Explore the following internet resources to learn about networking, how it works and how to build and use your networks for career and other goals.

• Networking, from Monster.com
• Networking & Your Job Search, from rileyguide.com
• How To Build Your Network, a series of articles from Science Careers
• How Not To Network, Elise Benun, from biznik.com
• How Not To Network, Humorous YouTube short by Kintish, UK Networking Specialist Firm

Reasons To Network

These are just a few of the many reasons why people network:

• Job and Internship Search
• Find an Apartment
• Career Development (both the current and next job)
• Starting a Business
• Find a Good Day Care Center
• Find a Date!

Ways to Network

• Ask for Referrals (faculty, friends, family)
• Yale Career Network/FES Alum Database
• Informational Interviews
• Join Professional Associations and Attend Conferences
• Seek Mentorship
• Online Social Networks (LinkedIn; Facebook)
• Blog and comment on on-line articles
• Via e-mail or other correspondence/chat rooms
• Career Fairs, On-Campus Events
• Schmoozing (or simply talking!) at Events/Talks/Parties

Networking Basics

"Networking is NOT selling, nor USING people for your gain. Networking IS an exchange of information, contacts, referrals and goodwill. Networking leads to new relationships, new opportunities and greater accomplishments." -- Networking Works! Wetfeet Insider's Guide

• Always reciprocate. Whether making an introduction, providing information or doing a favor. Ideas may come later if nothing immediately comes to mind.
• Always FOLLOW UP. If a faculty member refers you to someone for a possible internship, act on the referral. If you meet someone at a conference and it seems like a fruitful connection, send them an email when you get home.
• Maintain relationships. After you’ve followed up as suggested, let the faculty member know—keep the communication lines open and active.
• Praise your network! When people you know do something worthwhile or merely an achievement you admire or respect, LET THEM KNOW! 

Social Networking

What is Social Networking?
"Social networking has created new ways to communicate and share information. Social networking websites are being used regularly by millions of people, and it now seems that social networking will be an enduring part of everyday life. The main types of social networking services are those which contain directories of some categories (such as former classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages), and recommender systems linked to trust. Popular methods now combine many of these, with MySpace and Facebook being the most widely used in North America;[1] Nexopia (mostly in Canada);[2] Bebo,[3] Facebook, Hi5, MySpace, Tagged, Xing;[4] and Skyrock in parts of Europe;[5] Orkut, Facebook and Hi5 in South America and Central America;[6] and Friendster, Orkut, Xiaonei and Cyworld in Asia and the Pacific Islands." --Wikipedia

• Use blogs as a career tool for becoming super-connected, Penelope Trunk, from the Brazen Careerist blog
• Etiquette for LinkedIn and the Professional Networking World, Dave Taylor, The Business Blog at Intuitive.com

Social Networking In Plain English by Lee Lefever on YouTube

Building Your Network by Finding Mentors

Studies show that having good mentors is key to career success. As you are building your network, finding mentors who can advise you on aspects of your career and professional development and provide information on opportunities is an extremely important element. (Sometimes known as "mentworking," a term coined by Beverly Kaye). Mentorship comes in many forms: your academic advisor can be an important mentor as can colleagues and many other individuals in your network.

Take An Active Role
"Be proactive about seeking out exceptional training opportunities and good mentorship. Don’t sit around and wait for someone to offer to train or mentor you, or you may wait a very long time indeed." -- Dr. Teresa Treat, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Yale, from WMW's Women On Campus

Tips for Finding Mentorship

• 7 Steps To Finding and Keeping A Mentor, Penelope Trunk, Brazen Careerist
• Global Feature: Mentoring, Elizabeth Pain, from Science Careers
• The Value of A Mentor, Katharine Hansen, PhD, from Quintessential Careers
• Finding and Keeping A Career Mentor, Chaz Kyster, The Stanford Daily
• Get Good Mentors By Building Relationships, Penelope Trunk, Brazen Careerist
• Harness the Power of Mentoring, Networking to Help Your Career, Beverly Kaye and Devon Scheff, from National Business Employment Weekly, pdf, CTR.com website

The Informational Interview

The informational interview is an opportunity to network as well as a career research tool for gathering information about an industry, an organization or a type of job. Generally speaking, people are happy to share information about what they do.

Informational Interview Resources

• See "How Do I Initiate an Informational Interview?" from AskFESCDO! for sample email invitations to alumni and others you might want to network with through the informational interview.
  
• Career columnist Marci Alboher offers excellent advice on approaching interviewees and conducting informational interviews in this blogpost, Mastering the Informational Interview, from NYTimes January 2008
• How To: Initiating An Informational Interview Download below.

Working A Room

Re: Networking: "The word may conjure up images of business people in suits shaking hands, exchanging business cards, being phony, and sipping martinis." -- Michael Martine,5 Killer Blog Networking Tips - How to Network your Blog for Beginners

Inevitably there will be times when all of you introverts will indeed be called upon to network in person, whether it be a professional conference, a career fair, an alumni gathering or after a keynote speaker in a lecture series on campus. Here are some basic tips, and please see the resources below for more insights!

Strategies:

• Seek Out Singles
• Be Positive and Genuine
• Sit With People You Don’t Know—don’t hang with your friends!
• Come Prepared—Business Cards, Pen, Elevator Speech
• Hang Out by The Buffet—increases your chances of being remembered! (endorphine/food/memory)
• Focus on networking rather than eating!

Physical Tips:

• Arm’s Length—watch for personal space
• Dry, Firm Hand Shake
• Body Language:
  -Uncrossed Arms
  -Eye Contact
  -Smiling
  -Lean Forward
  -Relax!
• Mirror the Person You are Talking To
  -Stance, tone of voice

Talking Tips:

• Graceful Entrance to Conversation in Progress
  -Wait for a pause, then “May I join you?”
• Make Introductions Properly—Age, Power, Gender
  -Younger person is introduced to an older person
  -Man introduced to a woman
  -Less important person to a VIP
• Use the Person’s Name (Name Tag!)
• Don’t Dominate One Person
  -Cues: they start looking around the room or fidgeting
• Be Up on Current Events for Small Talk

Online Resources:

• Vault Guide to Schmoozing [electronic resource through Yale Library] / Marcy Lerner, et al.
• An Introvert’s Guide to Networking: Part 1 (circulating in a room), by Angela Marino, girl meets business.com
• An Introvert's Guide to Networking: Part 2 (holding a conversation), by Angela Marino, girl meets business.com

The F&ES and Yale University Network

CDO Alumni Database

CDO maintains a hard copy F&ES alumnae/i data base available in room 9 that can be used for contacting alumnae/i for informational interviews.

Yale Career Network

Yale Career Network is an ‘opt-in’ on-line networking tool that connects Yale students and alums with approx. 10,000 Yale alums from all graduate and professional schools and Yale College. With extensive search functions, it is a tremendous networking resource that can be used for arranging informational interviews, connecting with guest speakers, discussing career objectives and finding out about the thousands of institutions where Yale graduates are working.

Students and Alumni

Our students enter with diverse and impressive academic backgrounds and employment experiences. Research our recent students and alumni - including employment and internship information. Don't miss the opportunity to network with peers through student interest groups, in classes and socially, and with alumni at professional meetings, through informational interviews and on-campus.

Faculty

Our faculty are a tremendous resource for finding out about people, project and employment opportunities and other resources in their fields. Take the opportunity to learn about what all faculty are interested in and what they are publishing and working on. If you have a good question for someone, send them an email or set up a meeting. Information about courses, individual projects and research for current F&ES faculty is available.