Making Organic Connections

By Gabby Chavez

Network. Network. Network. This seven letter word is constantly emphasized in the business world. While networking is essential to growing professionally, it can be very daunting for some as it is difficult to know how and where to start. This year’s Spring Conference, Refresh, will feature a new way of networking with industry professionals in order to have attendees branch out and create organic connections. Here are a few tips to help you make organic connections before, during, and after the Spring Conference. 

Incorporate networking into your daily routine 

If reaching out to strangers to build your network seems intimidating, you can start by connecting with your professors and classmates. These are some of the easiest connections to make as they are people you see on a daily basis. Making time to chat with your professors outside of class can provide you with valuable career advice and access to their network. They may be able to connect you with other industry professionals or past students of theirs. You also never know what your classmates will end up doing after graduation, so building a relationship with them now could be useful in the future. 

Be prepared to ask questions and listen 

When attending a networking event, try to do some research on the speakers’ careers and interests if possible. This will allow you to come up with more specific questions and show the speakers your interest. While they are answering your questions, make sure to be a careful listener as they will offer valuable advice that you can reference when following up with them after the event. Also, think about building on to their answers to show you are paying attention and appreciate their advice. 

Quality over quantity on LinkedIn

As many of you most likely know, LinkedIn is a great networking tool with millions of users. It makes it easy to reach out to people with one click of a button. However, as a generation who is conditioned to think the more followers the better, it might be shocking to learn this is not necessarily the case with LinkedIn. A guest lecturer from one of my classes last semester emphasized the fact that LinkedIn is not a popularity contest, so only connect with people you can help or can help you. Being more aware and selective of the connections you are making on LinkedIn can allow you to build quality relationships. 

Make sure to buy your tickets for this year’s Spring Conference to hear from a number of industry professionals and start creating organic connections!