5 Embarrassing PhD Networking Mistakes (Professionals Sigh At #3)

Some PhDs actually love networking…

The problem is that they still try to network the wrong way. Have you been networking for months with no results?

No job offers, no interviews, or even a referral?

How can you meet so many new people in industry without seeing results?

I’ll tell you how:

Meeting people without building relationships is empty networking.

It is your responsibility to drive the growth of a professional relationship.

Just meeting someone isn’t enough.

You need to follow up multiple times and build rapport with your new connections. You do this by learning more about them and offering to help them however you can.

A huge mistake that PhDs make is to expect that other people will follow up. 

This process of waiting around doesn’t get you a job.

And waiting around isn’t the only mistake that PhDs often make while networking.

Let’s take a look at these 5 big mistakes that stop talented, brilliant PhDs from getting a lucrative job in their field of choice.

Mistake #1: You network with vague goals and a disorganized strategy.

As I mentioned, the key to successful networking is in the follow-up.

So when networking, get organized and keep track of your contacts like they are variables in a study.

Create a spreadsheet or document where you will store all the new networking contacts that you make.

Keep track of their names, email addresses, phone numbers, and the dates you reached out to them.

Keep notes on your interactions – anything that stands out or that you can help them with.

Then create a schedule for your follow-up with all your new connections.

If you carefully follow your spreadsheet, you can cultivate a thriving network of cooperative and willing contacts. 

But it’s a process. You are not dealing with lab equipment but human beings. 

You need to be social with a purpose, and this can be a fine line to walk.

But if you maintain connections on a recorded schedule of follow-up, you can build solid connections that will lead to opportunities.

Mistake #2: You stay in your comfort zone and refuse to network outside academia.

If you’re a PhD student or a postdoc, you have a lot going on.

Experiments, presentations, writing grants, or working on your next publication can take up all of your time.

If this is you, it’s probably easier to stick to networking events that are offered on your university campus. These events are probably more comfortable for you, but here’s the problem: 

University networking events are not going to bring you closer to your goal of getting hired in industry.

Networking events at universities are filled with other academic PhDs whom you probably see all the time – these people do not have industry connections.

These events are wasting your time.

Instead, look outside of your university.

Leave the campus and look up local networking events for industry professionals.

You can even look up events that are in a completely different field than yours.

These are called “blue ocean” networking events.

At these events, your PhD will be rare.

You will meet people who are not academics, and you will have the opportunity to expand your network.

It’s valuable to develop a diverse network of people because it will allow you to learn about potential job opportunities from as many sources as possible.

If you are only networking with other PhDs, your sphere is limited and you will miss out.

Mistake #3: You ask for things right away (and it makes you look really selfish)

When you are networking, your ultimate goal is to get a job referral and get hired.

Always keep that in mind...

But this is not how you should start a conversation with someone new. Never walk up to someone and say:

Hi, I’m a PhD. I’m looking for a job. Do you have any openings?

This is terrible professional etiquette, and you are sure to make the other person feel uncomfortable – it can easily ruin any chance for a long-term professional relationship.

You might think small talk is silly and a waste of time.

Maybe you don’t want to waste any time as you look for your industry position, so you want to get straight to the point.

But this other person does not know you at all.

Why would they want to help you?

There is one way to get into a position where a connection wants to help you: Investing in the relationship.

This means listening to what they have to say, asking them insightful questions, and then adding value however you can.

It also means following up and adding more value over time.

And when you follow up...

Be sure to add value rather than ask for something.

If you follow up with someone only to ask them for a favor, they will think of you as needy or whiny.

This is a death sentence to the networking relationship – don’t ask for favors until you have known them for a while and you have a great rapport.

Instead, you should be offering to do THEM the favors.

But most of the time, if you’re networking by consistently adding value to others and building relationships, you won’t even have to ask for help.

Others will eventually start adding value to you.

It’s just a matter of continuing to follow up and show yourself to be someone that they want to invest in.

Mistake #4: You take rejections personally.

People are going to ignore your messages sometimes.

This is just a fact.

People are busy and they don’t know who you are, so sometimes they will ignore you.

Plus, if you are reaching out to industry professionals, realize that they have demanding full-time jobs that eat up most of their time and energy.

If you email or message them once, they will probably not respond.

Don’t worry, and most importantly, don’t take this as a personal rejection.

It really has nothing to do with you.

Instead, be persistent and keep following up with friendly messages.

Keep your messages focused on the other person:

• Did they recently publish a new article?
• Did they get a promotion?
• Did their company have a recent success?

Talk about these types of things in the messages you send, and don’t worry if they still don’t respond.

It might take 3 messages—or it might take 30—to get someone to respond to you.

This is why it is essential that you network with many people, and why you should try to create a diverse network.

The more people you reach out to, the more likely you are to get a response.

Even one response can give you the boost you need to keep following up.

Mistake #5: You avoid small networking events.

Want to know one of the easiest ways to make new connections? 

Find industry professionals in the fields and positions you are interested in…

Then set up informational interviews with them.

An informational interview is a networking opportunity where you can ask someone about their career, their field, or their company.

It can be done via email, phone, video call or in person. Any way of communicating will work.

All the normal rules of networking apply in these situations. You should keep the conversation focused on them.

And remember that you must not ask for a job.

Sometimes, these informational interviews will turn out to be a great success – you might spark a real connection with the other person.

Sometimes, informational interviews can even turn into job interviews.

But no matter how the informational interview goes, there is one thing you should always do at the end of the conversation. You always need to ask:

Is there anyone else whom you think I should talk with?

Keep your tone light, and don’t be forceful.

This is a great opportunity to tap into the other person’s network.

In fact, you should be asking this question to all of the connections that you make once you have built up some rapport.

Don’t ask right away because they probably won’t be comfortable introducing you to anyone yet.

But this question ensures that you continue to grow your network at a steady pace, which is essential to your job search and career success.

Are you a PhD?

If so, what are some of your worst networking mistakes (and your greatest successes)?

Tell me in a comment below.

To learn more about transitioning into industry, including how to gain instant access to industry career training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, a complete industry transition plan, and a private online job referral network for PhDs only, get on the waitlist for the Cheeky Scientist Association.

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