How to Network Successfully
Why is Networking Important?
Networking can help you tap into the hidden job market.
Many students use online job boards as their sole job search technique for positions off campus. However, most jobs aren't posted or advertised publicly on online job boards—this is the hidden job market.
You can network online using LinkedIn or in person during networking events.
Networking Online with LinkedIn
Connect with alumni to request informational interviews, meetings, or coffee chats. These are all the same thing, but you may hear them referred to by different names.
These meetings are opportunities to connect with alumni within the industry or company you are considering for career exploration and to get advice on breaking into that industry.
The main focus of these initial meetings should be developing a professional relationship with alumni. This relationship may result in job referrals. See the Informational Interview (Coffee Chat) Guide to learn how to approach the request for job referrals.
Resources
- See our Connecting with People on LinkedIn Guide to learn how to connect with people on LinkedIn.
- You can use our Message Templates for Networking Online to help you draft custom messages.
- See our Informational Interview (Coffee Chat) Guide to help prepare for these meetings.
Networking In-Person
You can use opportunities on campus to network in person. Some of the people you can network with may be on campus regularly—graduate students and professors. While others, recruiters and alumni, may come to campus to connect with students specifically.
Example of networking opportunities
- Reaching out to graduate students or professors to join a research lab
- Employer informational sessions
- Career & internship fairs
- Networking reception
Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch is a 30-60-second speech designed to start a conversation during a networking opportunity. Try not to go beyond a minute, as this is meant to start the conversation, not be the entire conversation.
Elevator Pitch Structure
- Introduce yourself (name, year, major, school)
- State your interest (industry field)
- Share what you've done (one recent experience and lesson learned)
- Explain your interest in the specific opportunity (provide one reason why you are interested)
- What is your call to action? (ask a question about the opportunity)\
Example of Elevator Pitch
Hello! My name is [your name] and I am [school year] studying [major] at UC Santa Cruz.
I am interested in [industry name].
I had an [internship, job, research, volunteering experience, project, or other hands-on experience] as a [position name] with [employer/organization name] and discovered that I really enjoy [lesson learned].
I want to learn/gain more experience [developing a skill, working in a certain environment, etc.].
Could you tell me more about [opportunity name]?
Following Up
Send an email to contacts within 24 hours of an initial meeting. You’ve worked hard to initiate this new relationship—keep this connection alive!
Example Follow-up Email
Hi [contact name]!
It was great meeting you at [event name] earlier today/yesterday. Thank you for sharing about [opportunity name or resource provided]. I appreciated learning [one thing you learned from your conversation].
Can I reach out to you if I have additional questions?
[Your email signature]
The Career Advice Network (CAN) is a database of UCSC alumni that have asked to be a member of this database so that they can share career insights and personal experience in their perspective fields. This is not a job placement site. It is a way to connect current students and alumni to knowledgeable professionals for the purpose of conducting research into potential careers.
