How can you build your professional network as a new graduate?

1 Identify your goals and interests

Before you start reaching out to potential contacts, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and what you are passionate about. This will help you narrow down your focus, find relevant people and organizations, and communicate your value proposition. Think about your short-term and long-term goals, your strengths and areas of improvement, your preferred work environment and culture, and your interests and values. Write them down and use them as a guide for your networking strategy.

3 Reach out and build relationships

Once you have identified some potential contacts and platforms, you need to take action and reach out to them. You can start by sending a friendly and personalized message, introducing yourself, expressing your interest, and asking for advice or feedback. You can also comment on their posts, share their content, or tag them in your own posts. However, networking is not a one-time transaction. You need to maintain and build relationships over time by following up, showing appreciation, offering support, and staying in touch.

5 Seek and offer mentorship

Mentorship is a valuable form of networking that can help you grow as a professional and as a person. A mentor is someone who has more experience and expertise than you and who can offer you guidance, feedback, support, and opportunities. You can seek mentorship from someone you admire or respect in your field, such as a former professor, a colleague, a leader, or an influencer. You can also offer mentorship to someone who is less experienced or new to the field, such as a student, a peer, or a mentee. Mentorship can be formal or informal, long-term or short-term, depending on your needs and preferences.

6 Be authentic and generous

The final tip for building your professional network is to be authentic and generous. Networking is not about collecting contacts or asking for favors. It is about building genuine and meaningful connections based on mutual respect, trust, and value. To be authentic, you need to be yourself, be honest, be respectful, and be consistent. To be generous, you need to be helpful, be supportive, be grateful, and be reciprocal. By being authentic and generous, you will attract and retain people who share your vision, values, and goals.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?