I’ve been swiping right and messaging everyone on Match.com. I need to get married in 2 weeks, have any advice?

You should’ve started 3 years ago… Networking is about relationships which takes time to develop.

For many, their first dive into networking is when they’re looking for a job. However, it can pay off professionally in other ways such as being asked to a speaker, thought leader (for example, invited to contribute to a book) or collaborator.

Ideas on Getting Started:

Create a list of all your warm professional relationships such as classmates (including years above and below), co-workers and professors. This takes some effort, but you should be able to get a list of 100+ people. This is especially true if you attended undergraduate and graduate schools. LinkedIn can work well for finding these people and staying organized.

On the colder side, companies and universities have visiting speakers that you can connect with as a host or attending their talk. You can form a much better connection with visitors by hosting them which may include lunch than only a talk. In graduate school, we had about 6-8 speakers each month, which over 5 years is 360+ people. When reaching out, add value, for example, if you attended their talk, what did you learn from it, have a follow up question, give ideas, send an interesting related paper or suggestions for experiments. This process takes time and can be difficult there’s a reason that recruiters exists for placing researchers. Recruiters have focused on this aspect of developing a network that they can use to help researchers find employment.

A couple tips for LinkedIn, complete your profile, create a custom url, follow companies, join groups and participate in discussions related to your field. For groups, look for societies or associations in your field such as American Chemical Society or on a topic of interest. Also LinkedIn highly ranks the words in your bio line in search results so it is worth including relevant keywords, for example, Albert Einstein, Patent Clerk with an interest in the photoelectric effect or Rosalind Franklin | Crystallography | DNA Structure. Also consider joining other social networks related to science such as Research Gate, Instagram, create a blog and/or comments on others, Academia.edu, Quora and Twitter. Regardless of the platform, you need to take take time to engage whether that is uploading your publications, answering questions or sharing articles.

Create a business card, companies and some universities may even print them for you for free. There are moments that come up when someone will hand you their card and being prepared helps you look professional.

I need a job and haven’t done any networking:

Doh! It’s crunch time, I’d first start as above start with people you know, but now you don’t have the luxury of building out a network. For graduate students, ask your Professor and committee members if they know anyone that is hiring. If you are on your own, list all the companies within 25 miles of where you live and find employees of those companies that have the type of job that you want. Reach out to them such as through email or LinkedIn and ask if they have time to meet for coffee or lunch to learn more about their jobs. Get to know them (this is networking), understand what they do on a day to day basis and don’t ask them for a job. If the meeting is going well, they will likely ask about your background and interests.

Networking at a Scientific Conference

If you’re a social butterfly then going and meeting people at conferences is no big deal. However, I know many researchers that are quite introverted and don’t really ‘do’ networking. In the world of science, networking is important from meeting those on grant committees, job prospects, collaborators and because scientists are cool. I’ve been attending conferences most recently for Lab Spend, but also as a scientist and wanted to share some thoughts on networking. My goal with this post is to give you a basic outline of how to get started. When I was in graduate school, I was often told that you should go to conferences and ‘network’. I was never really completely sure what that meant so here are actionable tips from attending conferences over the past decade.

Overview:

1) Introduction yourself

2) Don’t rush

3) Don’t be a jerk

4) Don’t dismiss people

Introduce Yourself

A key part of networking is meeting people. If attending with your boss or more experienced lab mates then stick with them for at least the first part of day one. Ideally, they are going to see old friends and you want to be there for introductions. It’s important to remember these people and then during the conference connect with these people directly. This is the basics of networking, introduction, get to know them and repeat.

What do you do when there’s no one way to get an introduction? Look for people that

What’s the most interesting session you’ve seen?

What to do when there’s a very popular person that you want to connect with?

Don’t rush

Play the long game. This is where normal researchers get in trouble. They’ve been working hard in the lab let’s say finishing up their PhD and then realize that in 3 months they need a job. They also realize that their PI isn’t that excited about making career introductions. This is where reasonable people dismiss others and become jerks.

Don’t dismiss people

Everyone has the potential to help you further in your career. Science is a small community.

The science is really small if you’re pursuing an advanced degree as by specializing, your field of narrows. The goal of a 3 or 4 day conference is to have one meaningful conversation each day. I see people running around getting business cards from everyone they meet and then when they follow up they don’t get any responses. The reason is that there’s often a flood of follow ups after a conference and people are more likely to respond to those that they really connected with. An example, of rushing is interrupting two people talking because you need to talk with someone about joining their lab.

A lot of the time, you can have success connecting with your peers. If you are a post-doc approach a post-doc that is working in the lab that you are considering joining instead of the PI.

How do you pick which talks to go to?

Give more weight to the biographies of the speakers than the title of talks. If you are going to a popular panel session think about connecting with the moderators and not panel members. The panel members can often be swamped at the end of the sessions while moderators are usually available. Moderators often have great credentials and know the people on the panel. This again ties into don’t dismiss people as they may know that a big time panel member is looking for a post-doc and can make an introduction.

How do you get an introduction?

Work on a 30 second pitch, Hi – I’m a graduate student at University XYZ and this is my first time at this conference. I’m working for Dr. YY on XYZ and interested in painting/biking/judo (something personal). Is there anyone here that I should especially meet during the conference? If you go up to 3-5 people then you should get some names.

Next, when you approach the recommended people (again, don’t rush or be a jerk), Hey, I asked person XYZ of some neat people that I should connect with and she mentioned your name, they mentioned you also had an interest in (personal thing mentioned above).

Connecting with a Big Name

If you’re reading this and it’s too late for the long game then when you approach the person of interest. Approach them directly and have prepared a note (think personal letter of interest + CV (don’t forget your contact details), limited to half a page). Hi, I know you are busy, but have been working on XYZ that is related to your paper on XYZ and think it would be of interest to talk about in the future. Here is a short summary and hand them the note.

If you don’t like the note idea then approach them, ask if they have second (don’t rush). The goal here is to make an impression and not a bad one. May I ask you one question? (example) who is the best person in your lab to email about a post-doc opening. Then pause, don’t go on asking 3 questions as you come across as a jerk. Also don’t bring online to offline in a group setting such as: I emailed you last week about a job opening in your lab and haven’t heard back.

How do you get into a group conversation?

Many times at a conference you will see a group of 4-6 in a small circle talking about something. If it’s two people talking then don’t interrupt them (don’t rush). Okay, approach the group and go for, Hey, this is my first time here, do you mind if I join you? No one is going to say yes, but by asking it’s being polite. Take in the conversation and wait for a topic that you are interested in learning more about. Then ask a person in the group a question, Hey, why did you decided to go with that particular XYZ (catalyst, cell line, sofware, etc.), which will often lead to others explaining and you becoming connected to the group. If you ask a questions then that is showing humility and people like to help others which builds a connection. Do not join a group and try to one up any stories. For example, Hey that is great, but I actually worked with a guy in lab that did 4 of those reactions each day. You come across as a know it all jerk.

If the group conversation goes will you should have built some rapport with a person or two. They will often ask you, why you are here or what group you work for, this is where you give them a very concise response, I’m a grad student at the University XYZ and working on XYZ. You should then pause and see if anyone follow ups with another question. Don’t go into a long explanation of research or why you are attending. You don’t want to explain a lot of stuff if no one cares, if they do care then they will ask you more. If the conversation goes well then offer to follow up, Hey, I actually know of a paper that relates to what you are working, want me to send it to you?

How do you find someone to talk with?

Many conferences have a central room that were many people will be mingling. Look for people that also look like they are scanning the room and relaxed. Relaxed since they maybe scanning the room to find someone and they’re stressed. You find some, what’s next? The small talk is what matters. This is also because you come across as jerk if you are trying to pitch everyone. How do I get started? Give a brief, hey, how’s it going – are you from around here?

Usually, the answer will be no and you can follow up, ah, where did you grow up? Listen to what they say then have a conversation (Neat, I’ve never been to there, what’s it like? Where did you end up going to school?). If there from that area you can ask them about things to do while there at the conference. I would avoid asking them what they do for a living. This is what everyone asks and most people have a ‘rehearsed’ response which may make it hard to build a connection.

How do you move on from a conversation?

Are you going to here from the rest of the conference? Do you have a card? Thanks, I want to wonder around, take a break and get something to drink.

Especially for those that are more introverted it is important to take breaks as interacting with a lot of people as if can be feel stressful. See if there’s a near by park, go for a walk and in general don’t worry about giving yourself time to recharge.

Phrases if stuck:

“Well it was great meeting you! I’ll see you around!” (shake hands, smile)

“It was great chatting, I’m gonna go float around some more!” (shake hands, smile)

“I’ve got to run to the restroom real quick, it was nice meeting you!”(shake hands, smile, go to the restroom)

How do you follow up?

Wait, 2-3 weeks as everyone does follow ups in 2-3 days after the conference. You are building a long term relationship and should not be rushed. The goal again is to connect with 1-2 people per a conference. I see many people trying to connect with 20-30 people since they are rushed after each conference which is unreasonable and leads to copy/paste emails.