Five – plus one – tips for starting to build your network

Working for a big company can be scary sometimes: big buildings, lots of people, feeling lost for the first few days ... but it can also be one of your greatest adventures, trust us. You just need to be curious about the stories "behind the glass walls", and then just start working on your network. These five, plus one, tips will help you start:

1. Be proactive

Start making contacts even before you’ve finished studying. Rather than limiting your network to your own subject, communicate with people on other courses and in other faculties as well. This will give you a good insight into different themes and issues, and a better grasp of complex structures and how things fit together. This understanding will make it much easier to get into conversation with lots of different people.

2. Communicate openly

Be open and honest when you talk to new people. For example, tell them you’re looking for an internship. The more people know, the better the chances new opportunities will open for you.

3. Give and take

Make sure you don’t just talk about who you are and what you do but listen to the other person as well. Networking isn’t just about creating new opportunities for yourself, but about helping other people too.

4. Quality rather than quantity

Networking’s not necessarily about meeting as many new people as possible, but about making contacts with the right people. Once you’ve made contact, you should also make sure you maintain contact.

5. Taboo

Small talk should always be positive. Avoid sensitive topics like politics, religion, your world view, death or illness, and don’t bad-mouth or complain about other people.

After these simple steps, we think you’re ready to go big, and bring that job home. Always remember to be yourself, show your personality in the interview and a bonus tip: send an individual thank-you note to each person you had the interview with.

Bonus tip – social media presence

Use social media such as Facebook, Instagram, XING and LinkedIn to network and maintain contact with people. But make sure you only use your private profile for private purposes and protect this information from strangers. When it comes to your business profile you should make sure you use a professional photo and keep personal data such as your education and training, career milestones, volunteer experiences and interests up to date.

Now, you are all prepared to start building your network. Remember that the most important thing is to be authentic. The adventure is just starting, have fun.

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