Episode 3 Put Another Dataset In: Networking - Instagram vs Reality

Hello again! It has been a while since the last episode but I was grappling with dissertation writing! However, I am back and better than ever and on to the next topic that I think is important to discuss for those in my shoes- networking!

I’d like to start off by saying that I would absolutely love feedback from anyone willing to give it on their thoughts and insights on the topic, but for now I will start with my own.

Often times I would attend career development talks and without fault the speaker would at some point address the importance of ~*nEtWoRkInG*~ and boy did I HATE this. It always felt like a meaningless filler word- “How do I get in to industry?” “Oh, by networking of course!”

Ohhhh of course! Networking… networking. Thank you! I’ll just go back to my corner and, ya know…

??network??

This drove me bonkers, just a blanket word that didn’t mean much but was easy to say and everyone said it, and here it was again. ?? Just network!

After much trial and tribulation, I finally feel I have a better grasp of networking, and I’d like to share my experiences for those who are also grappling with this topic.

First of all, networking really is a snowball effect. I have found that once you do it a little, you exponentially get better at identifying new places/ways to network as well as how to do it. Here are a few things I have learned so far:

1.??????Networking can happen anywhere, so don’t be afraid to talk about your career aspirations with anyone and everyone.

My first experience fell into my lap. I have a friend at the gym that I see most days and we tend to chat while stretching in the stretching area. We catch up on life events, work, football, etc. until one day we happened to chat about my goals following my PhD. I don’t usually talk about what I do in my PhD as I prefer to be ‘gym-Amy’ at the gym and ‘nerdy-Amy’ at school, but for one reason or another I mentioned that I was interested in the MSL role, and to my surprise my gym buddy knew not only what the role was but knew several MSLs. He gave me the contact information of one MSL (with her permission) and she and I chatted on the phone for what was my first informational interview. During that conversation I was given the contact information of another MSL. I chatted with that MSL and voila! I had my first 3 industry contacts! I gained a ton of insight into the MSL position as one of the MSLs was new to the role and talked a lot about the on-boarding process while the other was more of a veteran MSL, and spoke about what hiring managers look for and his recommendations on pursuing the position as a new PhD.

Networking can happen anywhere, so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and talk about it.

2.??????Attend as many career/industry/networking events as possible and don’t be afraid to talk!

This one goes hand in hand with the previous pointer- you will meet so many people at career and networking events, but just going is not enough; you absolutely have to talk. I have been to a few of these events where the majority of the audience doesn’t ask a question, doesn’t stick around after to mingle, and it always confuses me- you came to learn about networking... and then left without networking!!

Introduce yourself, ask questions, mention parts of the talk you found interesting or confusing, mention something you have in common (a hometown, a favorite team, a shared alma mater). You need to make yourself memorable without coming off as cocky, arrogant, or needy. Don’t interrupt the speaker, don’t try to steal the show, but be respectful and ask a meaningful question and allow others the chance to ask theirs as well. IF there is time (if there is an awkward silence for example) potentially ask a second question. Try and meet the speaker afterwards. Also, meet with the people who put together the presentation as they clearly have contacts in the first place! You can find connections everywhere, you just have to be willing to respectfully and humbly put yourself out there and try.

3.??????Develop a meaningful connection - don’t just ask about a job.

This is important. I have not yet been on the other side, but from the informational interviews that I have had, more than once I have heard the person with the industry career I am seeking say how they only met with me because I came across as very genuine, and they have SEVERAL other people reaching out that they have ignored because their LinkedIn messages are very scripted.

This advice is especially pertinent for “cold calls” on LinkedIn. I have made several connections with people I reached out to on LinkedIn that I have never met, but I have made these connections by first finding a way to relate outside of my interest in their career. It is an absolute no-no to reach out to someone and say something like, “Hi Beaker, I am interested in becoming an MSL at Bunsen Inc and was wondering if you could tell me a bit about what you do?” You have NOT made any sort of connection with this person; they have never met you, they are busy and (I did not realize this initially but) they get SO MANY of these messages all the tiiiiimme!! If you have not tried to acknowledge them as a human being, you are wasting your time and theirs.

I know every person I make a “cold call” to on LinkedIn knows my agenda, they see my LinkedIn heading, but I always try and make a meaningful connection first. “Hey Beaker, this is Amy Alleyne. I am currently a grad student at UF and noticed you are also a fellow Gator! Go gators!! Congrats on your position at Bunsen Inc. I saw recently they received FDA approval for the diabetes drug Fozzie. I noticed that diabetes is your therapeutic area; by chance do you represent this drug?”

Again, THEY KNOW WHY YOU ARE REACHING OUT. You don’t have to ask for a job! If you develop a genuine connection/conversation, it is likely they will actually offer to chat, and then they will ask you about your career interests, and then they will offer some of their connections. People want to help people, but they don’t want to feel used. Make the relationship genuine!

4.??????MAINTAIN THE CONNECTIONS!!!!

I think this is the one I struggled with, and still struggle with, the most. It is not enough (and it is also not genuine) to reach out, have a conversation, and then never reach out again. I know I always worried about bugging people, but you have to maintain the relationships you have created. I have been given this advice - you don’t need to message every contact every day, but maybe every 4-6 weeks send a little message with an update. Maybe you can give an update about some advice you got from them the last time you spoke, and discuss how you have applied it and how it went. Maybe you can discuss something you read about regarding their therapeutic area or drug, maybe something completely casual about a sports team they like- “Hey I saw the Ravens lost to the Dolphins!! What happened to the defense??”

Personally, I write in my planner when I feel I should reach out to someone again. If I have a conversation with Bunsen today, I am marking my calendar 6 weeks from now to reach out again. I do this for every connection I have made, so each week I end up having about 1 - 2 people I should be reaching out to to keep the connection fresh, which is not an unbearable number.

I was also given this advice- make a list of 3 companies you would like to work for, then work on making 3 genuine connections at all 3 companies, so now you should have 9 connections. Next, work with those connections to make 2 genuine connections one level higher, maybe a senior level position. From there, make 1-2 connections one level higher, such as a hiring manager or director. All of these connections need to be genuine; don’t just ask your first connection, “hey can I have an introduction to your hiring manager”, but maybe one day eventually you can mention you saw a job posting for a certain position, and do they think you might be a good fit, and do they happen to know the person running the search or perhaps someone who does.

In all of this, the big takeaways are to seek out the opportunities in every situation to make genuine connections that will make you stand out in someone’s mind when an open position does come around. Don’t forget- many companies will give bonuses to employees for referrals, so they benefit from connections too, not just you.

Finally, I made a diagram, mainly for myself but perhaps it will help others as well to see how I made several connections and how those connections led to other connections. Networking isn’t difficult to do, but it does take time.