What is Networking?
Networking is the process of making connections with other people to share information. You are fortunate to be joining the UW–Madison network which includes hundreds of thousands of alumni. The best part is… Badgers love helping Badgers! Every day, UW–Madison students are making connections with alumni – sharing information and building relationships – often leading to job and internship opportunities.
Your Academic & Career Advisor is always happy to assist you with the networking process!
Identifying Someone to Network With
The two most commonly recommended networking tools are LinkedIn and BadgerBridge. It is important to be strategic when identifying individuals to contact. Here are some things to consider:
- Do they have hiring authority?
- Was their career path similar to yours, or similar to one you could also follow?
- Do you have anything in common to help you connect over?
- Are they a recent graduate? Will their advice be more relevant compared to someone who has been in this industry longer?
- Have you done enough research about the role, company, and industry to have a meaningful conversation with this person yet?
Reaching Out
When reaching out to your individual of interest, it is important to prepare a thoughtful, but concise, message. The basic elements of an introduction should include the following:
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Who are you?
Introduce yourself, begin telling your story and identify your school and major.
What do you have in common?
People are often eager to help someone who they feel connected to in some way! If you cannot think of anything, you always can fall back on being a Badger! Badger alumni love helping Badgers.
Potential commonalities could be:
- Did they attend UW-Madison?
- Did they have the same major as you?
- Do they know of any of your professors?
- Do you have a shared contact?
- Were they members of the same student organization?
What makes you unique?
Share some of your previous experiences or accomplishments. Describe your internship, research, volunteer, or work experiences.
What are you seeking?
Are you looking for insights about their career path and the field through an informational interview? Are you seeking an internship, or job search advice in your field of interest? Are you hoping to learn more about their specific organization?
Sample Introduction Messages
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Linkedin Connection Message
These messages should be attached as a note when requesting to connect with someone on LinkedIn. Connection request notes are required to be under 300 characters long.
Sample message:
Hi Lawrence. I am a Biology student at UW–Madison. I am interested in the Finance industry and I would love to learn more about your career path as a UW Personal Finance alum. Do you have time to chat by phone to share some of your expertise and advice? Hope to hear from you soon!
BadgerBridge or Email Message
Sample message:
Dear Rebecca Blank,
My name is Bucky Badger and I am a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Personal Finance. I found your name through ___(Badgerbridge? Referral? Handshake?)___, and I was excited to see a UW alum with a Personal Finance background working in the Human Resources field!
I am eager to learn more about the field of Human Resources to determine if my interest in business and supporting people would be a good fit with this type of work. It would be wonderful to gain your perspective on the industry and learn more about the day-to-day activities of someone working in Human Resources.
Attached is my resume so that you may get a better sense of my background and experience. Thank you for your consideration of this email and I hope we can set up a time to speak by phone next week when it is convenient for you. I may be reached at 608-555-1234 or bbadger@wisc.edu.
Sincerely,
Bucky Badger
Informational Interviews
After landing a 30 minute conversation, also known as an informational interview, with an individual of interest, it is time to prepare.
Below, you will find a list of sample informational interview questions. These questions are good starting points, but the more tailored and specific your questions are, the more impressive and engaging your conversation will be.
You won’t have time to discuss all of these questions, but you can use them as a basis for a short conversation or to help you think of some questions of your own. Click the topic below to see the corresponding questions.
Sample Informational Interview Questions
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About the Person
- What is your educational background? How did you get started in this field?
- What was your career path like? How did you get your present job?
- How did you know where to start looking and what steps you needed to take?
- What would you change about your career path if you could?
- Where do you see yourself going from here?
About the Job & Workplace
- What is your educational background? How did you get started in this field?
- What was your career path like? How did you get your present job?
- How did you know where to start looking and what steps you needed to take?
- What would you change about your career path if you could?
- Where do you see yourself going from here?
About the Field & Industry
- What are the employment trends in your field or company?
- What is the salary range for the various levels in this field?
- What type of professional development or training opportunities are there?
- What do you wish you would have known prior to entering this field?
- What credentials, educational degrees, licenses, etc. are required for entry into this field?
- What kind of skills and prior experiences would be a good background for someone starting out?
- What are some skills that have proven important in your job that you did not anticipate?
- What is the profile of someone who is successful when first starting in this field?
- Where should I look to learn more about this field or this job?
Advice For You
- What skills or experiences will I need to develop to make myself more competitive?
- What professional associations or organizations should I know about?
- What advice do you have for me as I try to break into this field?
- Are there people you think I would benefit from talking to?
- Can I use your name when I contact them?
- If I have any questions could I stay in contact with you?
Remember
- Never ask for a job, referral, or favor. While you may be hoping that this happens, you need to wait for the individual to offer to do this. They need to get to know you and trust you before they are willing to do the extra work for you.
- It is important to remember that these people are busy and have generously given you 30 minutes of their time. Be on time and prepared with a list of tailored questions based on your research of that individual’s background, their company, and the industry overall. Remember to be conscious of the time. If they agree to 30 minutes, it is your job to ensure that your conversation does not go over 30 minutes.
- Do not forget to send a thank you email within 48 hours of your conversation!
Maintaining the Relationship
After your conversation, it is important to maintain the relationship. Most people do not get a job offer through their networking connection after a quick 30 minute chat. These relationships should be nurtured and developed over time.
In addition to sending a thank you email within 48 hours of your conversation, we encourage you to reach out periodically to check in with the individual’s you have chatted with. Search for their company every so often in the news. Reach out to them and ask about how current events are impacting their work, etc. If you see an article that they may find interesting, send it to them, tell them your thoughts, and ask for theirs as well. The more creative you can get with finding meaningful ways to interact, the better!