What networking advice should I give a mentee?
Told to network, most people open a professional site, feel uncomfortable and close it again. Specifics fix that.
- Read time
- 3 minutes
- Module
- Core skills
- Session length
- 30 minutes
What good looks like.
Name the ten kinds of people worth contacting in your field, not the abstract idea of contacts.
Draft the first message together. Short, specific, one question, no attachment, no request for a job.
Set the expectation that most people will not reply, and that this is normal rather than a verdict.
A sequence you can follow.
- 01
Pick five real names
People or roles they could message this week.
- 02
Write one message
Three sentences, in the session, so it exists.
- 03
Agree a rhythm
Two messages a week beats twenty in one evening.
- 04
Plan the follow-up
One polite nudge after ten days, then stop.
What to avoid.
Telling them to "put themselves out there"
Encouraging mass identical messages
Treating events as the only form of networking
Extra tips
Small things that make the half hour better.
Write the message in the session
Three sentences, one question, no attachment.
Five real names
Abstract advice to "network" goes nowhere.
Two a week
A steady rhythm beats one big evening of messages.
Normalise silence
Most people will not reply; that is not a verdict.
Take this guide with you.
Download a printable version of this guide: the short answer, the steps, the extra tips, the mistakes to avoid and the questions mentors ask, to read before your next session.
The things people ask first.
Should they ask for a job in the first message?
No. Ask for one piece of information; the rest follows.
Next: Telling someone a hard truth.
Say the difficult thing early, plainly, and with a route forward.