On October 3, 2011 Karin Conway from PRO Alliance Resources LLC came to speak to PRSSA and other Public Relations students at UW-Whitewater. The main focus of Karin’s speech was networking. Subtopics of networking included why people should network, effective places to meet people, networking tips before you attend an event, and more.
One of the first points that Karin talked about was why people should network. Karen said that it can be a pain filling out job application after job application and getting rejected over and over again. Networking helps lower your rejection rate. Karin said that “people hire people they know or those who are referred by someone they trust.” Another piece of advice that Karin gave about networking was to “build your valuable network before you need it, whether you are an employee or business owner.”
The next topic that Karin covered was effective places to meet people. Karin’s list included Chambers of commerce, business mixers, networking groups, open houses, gallery night, church functions, school functions, social groups, personal development sessions, and online (LinkedIn, Facebook, MeetUp).
Another topic that Karin talked about was general networking tips before attending an event. One tip was to create a plan. This involved thinking about who you are going to meet and how many people you will have time to follow up with. Karin also brought up a good point when she stated that if you are not in the right frame of mind before an event, you should try to snap out of it. If you cannot snap out of it, it is best that you do not go to the event. Karen stated that your bad attitude will show and you do not want your future business connections to have a terrible first impression of you. Karin also pointed out that it is important to wear the proper clothing when attending a networking event. Something that Karin said that she did was hiring an image consultant. She said that the image consultant cost her money, but ended up saving her money in the end because she knows what kind of clothes fit her well, what is in style, and what she should buy that is business appropriate for the events that she attends. While listening to Karin speak, I noticed that she was wearing her nametag. Karen said that at any business event, it is important to get a real name tag printed, not one that’s on paper.
Karin also had some networking tips for while at an event. One tip that I learned was “introduce people who can help one another because then you will be seen as a connector.” Karin also talked about the “elevator pitch” that Matt Scherer mentioned in his LinkedIn speech last week. Karin added that people should try to have a creative elevator speech (maybe more than one) and to practice it with friends. Karin said that she knows of people who have made a rhyming elevator pitch and put their own spin on it in many other ways. Another item that Karin mentioned was time management. She said that sometimes she has problems at networking events where she meets one person who tries to grab her attention and carry on a conversation with her for too long. She states that at networking events you’re there to meet people and mingle, not chat with just one person the whole time. A method that she uses is having a wingman to help get her out of those situations. It’s important not to stick with a clique because you could miss the chance to meet new people. “You’re there to make connections” One of the biggest points that Karin made was to use business cards, which is also something that we have talked about in class. Karin also mentioned that Vista Print was a great site to go and get business cards.
Overall, Karin had a lot of helpful insights when it came to how to prepare and handle yourself at a networking event.
No comments:
Post a Comment