The mere thought of professional networking often can incite the same anxiety as performing in front of a large audience. You may get sweaty palms, have trouble gathering your thoughts, and forget your material — followed by a sinking feeling in your stomach.
But much like a well-rehearsed performance, if planned ahead of time, networking can be a smooth and rewarding process.
Here are a few ways to build meaningful connections with professionals, and steps to make networking a little easier and a lot less awkward:
Use professors as connectors
It can be easy to overlook the connections you already have. Professors, for instance, have a large network themselves, including current and former colleagues, and former students who are now in the workforce.
Take advantage of office hours to build relationships with your professors. This can help you ease into your networking journey.
Say you’d like to speak with an alumnus who works in broadcast media, and is a former student of one of your professors. Instead of sending a LinkedIn request out of the blue, reach out to that professor and explain why you're seeking this connection. The alum is more likely to respond with a professor's direct introduction. If your professor can't make an introduction, ask if you can copy them in an email you send.
Find a mentor
Mid- and senior-level professionals who enroll themselves as mentors in mentorship programs can be a goldmine in your networking journey.
Here are some platforms you can use to find journalism-specific mentors:
- JournalismFund Europe’s mentors: Here, you can search for a mentor by country or filter them by beat.
- Online News Association’s Digital Women Leaders Mentorship Program: This program allows young journalists to connect with women in top positions in the media industry.
- Media Mentors is designed for journalists who want to learn more about the media industry at large, including audience strategies, product engineering, and marketing. They also have a pillar for those aspiring to be investigative journalists.
- International Press Institute’s Media Innovator’s Mentorship: If you want to learn about or work on a media organization’s growth and strategy team, reach out to mentors through IPI’s mentorship program. For entrepreneurial journalists hoping to start their own initiatives, this platform lists consultants worldwide who have helped small media businesses grow.
While mentors are wonderful resources to build relationships with, keep in mind that they may not help you get a job. What they can do best is help you refine your career route, identify professional opportunities, and figure out where to invest your time.
Read this article from Poynter on how students can approach potential mentors for more useful advice before you send out your first mentorship request.
Reach out to members of the team you want to join
When an organization publishes a job listing or an opportunity, the recruiting and communications teams typically are responsible for promoting it. The natural networking impulse here is to reach out to the promoters and let them know you’ve applied. However, it can be unclear whether those messages ever reach the team that’s looking for the new member(s).
Search the “People” section of the organization’s LinkedIn page or their website’s staff page to identify the members of the team that is hiring. Write to them about your application. Remember that this message is not a cover letter but an interest statement that outlines your skills and interest in the organization.
Connect with sources
Journalists and journalism students are bestowed with a golden ticket — many of them, in fact. A large part of the job is requesting interviews, with a host of different sources. These often can be experts in their fields, and therefore present another helpful networking cog.
Say you want to connect with the founder of a startup you’re interested in. Think of how you could use this person’s knowledge as part of a story you’re reporting. Write to them requesting an interview for an article and you may get a quicker (and more positive) response than if simply trying to connect.
When approached for their expertise rather than solely for networking, they're more likely to give you their time. These interviews can evolve into lasting professional relationships, as you've already established a foundation of genuine interest in their work. This way, not only will you gain valuable knowledge on a topic, you may also end up with a great story, and a professional connection for the future.
Attend career fairs
Career fairs offer you an opportunity to network with recruiters and industry professionals. Preparing ahead of time will help you make the best use of everyone’s time.
- Identification: Identify, say, 15 organizations you’d like to speak with. Become familiar with their work, and about the opportunities they typically offer. If you can’t find certain information ahead of time, write it down and ask them. It shows you’ve done your research and were able to identify gaps.
- Trial round: Of the 15 organizations you identified, let five be ones you're not super interested in. Start by speaking with one or two of them to calm your nerves. Even if you make a mistake, you won’t feel disheartened. And if all goes well, not only will you be introduced to newer opportunities, you will feel more confident about yourself. This confidence will help drive conversations with organizations you’re genuinely interested in.
- Research: In addition to inquiring about jobs the organization is recruiting for, it's also valuable to ask about people who are working there. If you are particularly impressed by someone’s work, a career fair is a good time to ask for their contact details or for a direct connection.
Keep in mind
Networking should be goal-driven, but that goal shouldn’t be simply to get a job. It should be to build mutually beneficial relationships that grow over time. This mindset not only takes away the pressure that comes with the entire process, it helps you think about how you can work alongside the people you network with.
Contrary to popular opinion, networking isn’t a numbers game. The people you speak with can have a significant impact on your professional goals and outlook. Speak with people who have similar backgrounds as you, and who have pursued career paths you could envision yourself taking.
When you speak with someone who contradicts something you believe in or aspire to, don’t take it personally. Think rationally about what they said, and take their input into account. Most importantly — if you’re committed to your aspirations, don’t let go of them.
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