A Networkee’s Guide to Networking
Following months of networking calls and exploring the industry, I finally feel like I have a grasp on what I want out of my career. Hours on the phone, pages filled with notes, and many conversations about the weather later, hopefully I can pass on my knowledge from seasoned marketers to everyone else.
Today I’m going to talk about networking.
Now for anyone who I haven’t scared off yet, what I really mean is I want to talk about the advice, tips, and wise words of marketers in the industry who I’ve been talking to throughout the year.
The first thing I realized is saying you want to go into marketing is extremely vague. There are so many different departments of marketing — event, brand, digital, content, influencer, social media, just to name a few. And once you’ve decided how you want to market, there are so many options of what you want to market, such as health, tech, consumer, corporate, beauty and wellness… the list goes on and on. Marketing really is all around us. One of the best pieces of advice I received was to figure out my passions and what I wanted out of my career, and build from there.
Through each networking call, I learned more about the person I spoke with and their journey, and took chunks of their story and added it to my mental vision board. Mary was passionate about tech, so pursued agencies that focused on marketing for tech companies. Deb hated the monotony of doing the same thing every day and wanted a more fast-paced environment, so she started her career in an agency. Katie loved writing, so she ventured into marketing communications. Emily felt she was strongest when working in a team, so looked at smaller companies with strong cultures. Mark loved traveling, so he worked for global firms that eventually led to him living abroad. Matt enjoys interacting with people and clients, so he began his career on the account team.
The more people I talked to, the clearer the picture of my future became. In my eyes, there was no such thing as a pointless networking call, because even as people explained to me their journey and it sounded exactly like what I didn’t want to do, that was one step closer to what I did want to do.
Nothing can be done in lieu of networking (not even reading this piece), but I can at least provide some of my favorite tips of where to start from what I’ve learned along the way.
1) Connections can be found anywhere.
Finding people to connect with has never been easier. There’s a world of marketers right at your fingertips (on the internet, duh). Find a company that interests you and message someone who works there on LinkedIn. It may be sort of awkward, but what do you have to lose? If I had a dollar for every time I randomly messaged a stranger on LinkedIn, I would no longer need to randomly message strangers on LinkedIn. If this doesn’t work, ask your parents, mentors, friends, or neighbors if they know anyone in marketing who would be willing to chat with you. You can even tap into your alumni network or other resources through your university. You can call me naive, but I have found that people love to help almost as much as they love to talk about themselves, so finding someone willing to talk to you is easier than you might think.
2. Start small.
The idea of networking can be daunting, but reaching out to just one person as first helps you ease into the process. Sometimes all it takes is one person because they will pass you onto people they know, and then people they know, and before you realize it you have a network. It’s not about the amount of people you know but the depth of the connection, so it’s better to not spread yourself too thin and stay in close contact with a handful of people.
3. The follow up isn’t the scariest thing in the world.
The first networking call is easy. Neither of you have spoken to each other before, so there’s endless things to discuss. About a month after the first call, it’s time to reach back out. However, this doesn’t need to be some long conversation, it can be as simple as an email updating your connection about what you’ve been up to, how you may have implemented some of their advice or another lingering question you may still have. The idea is to just keep in touch, not become best friends.
4. Don’t only let them talk.
Networking isn’t just asking them questions and counting down the time until it’s appropriate to say you don’t have any more questions (I know I’m not the only one who thinks like this!). While learning about them is easy and can be interesting, it’s still important to sell yourself and let them get to know you. I love when the ‘Tell me about your story and how you got to where you are today?’ question sucks up 10 minutes of the call just as much as the next person, but always make sure there’s time for them to ask you the same thing.
5. Don’t worry about that economics exam (this was my favorite tip).
This is real advice I received from a networker. I was explaining how I had a tough economics final coming up and I was nervous about it, and he basically told me grades didn’t matter (sorry mom and dad). While he was mostly joking, the point stands that experience, connections, and hard work will get me my first job in marketing, not an A on an economics final.
6. Read publications, join clubs and attend conferences.
Staying up to date on the industry you’re going into is crucial — especially in marketing. Keeping up with market trends helps with researching companies and career paths, networking, interviews and performing the tasks of your actual job.
7. Create a shortlist of places you want to work.
Once you’ve decided what you’re looking for in a career, find the places that are the best fit. By having a targeted search, it allows you to make deeper connections within one company and makes the process of applying for jobs less daunting.
8. Don’t apply to a bunch of jobs at the same company.
Instead of just throwing yourself into the mix for a variety of jobs at one company, pick the one you’re really passionate about and use your references for this one position (be cool, we don’t want to appear desperate!)
9. Never be afraid to make your own project.
Keeping your skills sharp is important, so creating your own project or short internship gives you something relevant to talk about when networking and interviewing. Employers don’t want to see you just coasting by, so demonstrating you’re taking initiative to gain experience will be impressive. Landing a marketing job is all about experience, so the more the merrier.
10. Whether you choose to start in an agency or in-house, don’t stay too long.
There’s a risk of being labeled ‘too agency’ or ‘too in-house’, so diversifying your experience early on will be beneficial in the long run. Staying for about three years at each will give a good foundation for wherever the future leads.
11. Create a portfolio.
This may look different for everyone depending on what area of marketing interests you, but having writing samples, research papers, social media posts or any sort of past project that can show off your experience will differentiate you from other candidates. A resume and cover letter tell companies what you’ve done, but a portfolio shows them.
12. Your network is everything.
I was always surprised by how often people I had networked with people who knew each other, and it makes you realize how small the industry is. Just because something doesn’t seem to come out of a network call, doesn’t mean that person won’t be important in the future. In the competitive world of marketing, the key to your next opportunity lies in your network. Maybe they are a mentor, or someone to proofread your resume, or someone whose journey you found interesting but you’ll probably never hear from them again — there’s no such thing as a bad connection.
Sometimes networking sucks. That’s right, I said it. But if you change your mindset away from desperately trying to land a job and towards just trying to learn about the industry, you’ll be surprised by how much you can gain just by talking and listening. The hardest part about networking is starting. Even if someone isn’t in the field you think you’re interested in, or is too high or low on the corporate ladder. It doesn’t really matter. So get out there and feel free to awkwardly message me on LinkedIn, I promise not to ghost you.
