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Networking

Have you connected?

I spent a week at a bank learning how it is like to work there and also the important skills that will land you in a job at the bank. We learnt some really helpful stuff and I think it is important that these skills are all really transferrable. We always hear things about the corporate world that sounds pretty incredible, like an elevator speech/pitch that lands you in a great job or a huge deal, or amazingly tough interview questions that people managed to ace. And you wonder if this all really happens in the corporate world. I guess it does, to a certain extent. Having experienced a really thin slice of corporate life, I reckon these things happens but for most employees in these really great firms, they got in through sheer hardwork, perseverance and being very capable with routine tasks and handling small problems. But it is true that more often than not, connections helps you move up and on. And they often come through networking sessions.

I'm just hoping to share some ideas about professional networking for a student hoping to land on some banking/corporate sort of job/career path.

Before

• Know the details of the event including the kind of people who will be attending.
• Set objectives for yourself such as speaking to a certain number of people or getting in touch with a certain number of people.
• Research on the background of people going or the content of conversations you might like to initiate
• Prepare your ‘elevator speech’ and have it at the back of your mind

During

• Conversation materials: Ask the person about their background, work experience, reasons for choices of work, details of working environment and people, ask them about what keeps them busy at the moment
• Open the circle to let others come into the group if you see anyone around
• Do not over-dominate, and if the conversation is going nowhere, end it and thank the person for their time before leaving

After

• Follow-up where appropriate; asks for the person’s advice if you’re about to apply to the organization or some closely related area of work.

If possible, try to review your own performance and think of how you can improve yourself. Try practicing by just randomly attending these sessions and striking a conversation with someone.