How to build your network during your internship...

Internships and co-ops are great opportunities to meet new people and build your professional network. However, not everyone is going to go out of their way to meet you. Does that mean they don't want to? Not necessarily. As a new intern or co-op, it is likely that the people you are working with have different priorities than you. They are busy and have deadlines. Meeting the new intern that is just going to be gone in a few months may be low on the priority list. Also, it is possible they are just as nervous about meeting new people as you are. What?! Yes, it's true. Even established professionals can feel intimidated by new social situations so you taking the first step might just help them out.

It is important to prioritize meeting as many people as you can while on your internship or co-op for two reasons:

1.      Having multiple people that you can go to with questions will help you spread out your “asks” and will help you avoid being seen as the “pesky new intern”.

2.      Meeting new people at work can expand your knowledge of potential career paths and help you build your professional network which will be useful later when you are looking for full-time employment.

If the above meme summarizes you in social situations do not fear. If you want to meet new people but aren’t sure how to start first send an email.

Greetings [First name if it's an informal workplace or someone close in seniority to you. Prefix and Last name if it's a formal workplace or someone much higher in seniority to you],

I am very excited to be completing my internship at {company name}. I am intrigued by the work that you do and would love the opportunity to pick your brain a little bit. Could we sit down for a 30-minute lunch break this week so that I can learn more about your experience and how you got to where you are today?

Regards,

Your Name

The message is simple, to the point and flattering. This will hopefully generate a response, however, in the age of email overload, it's possible your message might get buried in an inbox. If you don't hear back after 3-5 business days then plan to send a follow-up email.

Greetings [Name],

I am following up on the email I sent to you on [date]. I am sure you are very busy so I will keep this brief. I would love the opportunity to learn more about your professional experience and how you got to where you are today. When would be a good time to meet for a 30-minute conversation?

Thank you,

Your Name

Next prepare a few questions to ask when you meet.  Prioritize your questions. Ask yourself, "Why do I want to have this conversation? Why do I want to meet this person?" Once you have an objective(s) then you can structure your questions around that. Here are some possible objectives:

1. I want to learn more about a career field that is related to my area of study.
2. I have too much downtime. I want to learn about other projects that are happening so that I can assist with those in my free time.
3. I need someone that I can get reliable advice from when I have a question at work.
4. I want to build a friendly relationship with this person so I can network for other positions a year from now.

Now that you have your objective(s) it's time to think of the questions that will get you the most useful answers. Make sure they are not yes/no questions. Allow the person to talk and share their expert insight with you. Here are some example questions you could ask:

1. What is a typical work week/month/year like for you? What do you like most and least about your work?
2. How did you get started in this field? Did you always know you wanted to do X, why or why not?
3. What project are you working on right now that is really exciting to you? Why?
4. If you had more help, what project would you try to tackle right now?
5. Who is the person you turn to for advice or guidance here? Why?
6. What education and professional development do you think is helpful to someone entering this field?
7. What trends do you see for this industry in the next 3 to 5 years?
8. What other career fields do you find are related to your work?
9. How does hiring happen in this field? Mostly networking?
10. Based on our conversation today, are there other people you think I should talk to? Would you mind introducing us?

And there you have it. The key to networking at work is putting yourself out there, following up, identifying your objectives and asking thoughtful questions that get the other person talking. Now go forth and prosper! And let me know if you have a good conversation.