Ready for Networking Checklist

The following can serve as a ready made checklist to network professionally.

Where to Network

Not sure outside of virtual and face to face career fairs where to network. Explore the following resources for virtual and face to face opportunities.

1. Professional Association(s) - Go to CareerOneStop's Professional Association Finder page and type in industry and knowledge areas of interest (i.e. school psychology, politics, cybersecurity, human resources). Explore the associations (national, state, and regional) related to your areas of interest. Often association sites have their own job boards, mentorship programs, and professional events. I personally have grown and learned so much about my professions at the time through my involvement locally and nationally with associations.

2. Find Networking Events and Virtual Groups. Explore the following sites:

- Eventbrite for Business and Professional events
- Regional Chamber Events - See Cincinnati USA for Cincy local events
- MeetUp Groups related to your areas of interest (Cincy Meetup page)
- Consider places you may want to work such as "on the Hill" and discover networking spaces like the Congressional Staff Network.
- Join Facebook and LinkedIn groups (how to guide on finding LinkedIn groups) related to your career interests to start networking with professionals in the field.

3. Find other in-person or virtual Job and Employment Fairs. Google your area and local Job Fairs. In Cincinnati, each fall there has been a Big College Event for college students to engage with employers. Check out events on UC Handshake for single employer events as well as smaller job fairs. Tip: It is easier to engage with employers at these smaller events and follow-up 1 on 1.

4. Volunteer. One great way to meet professionals in your field is to volunteer with the population you want to work with and/or in your professional area of interest. Check out Cincinnati Cares, Volunteer Match, and UC's Center for Community Engagement for opportunities. You also can search out Non for Profits focusing on your interest areas using GuideStar.

5. Connect with professionals you aspire to be on Twitter and LinkedIn. A good start is to find alumni from your university and reach out with an introduction to setup an informational interview. Check out more in the LinkedIn & Networking post.

6. While this not an exhaustive list, you should brainstorm where else with your friends and peers.

Do Your Research

Prior to attend small or large events. Be sure to do the following.

RESEARCH the companies (at least 8-10) that are going to be there on the event site. Here are places to check out when researching a company.
- A Company's LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook pages
- The Companies Website (review the About Us and Homepage)
- Google the Company - What have they been in the news for recently?
- Checkout Reviews on Glassdoor (salary information, culture information, and potential interview questions)
- For Interview Prep - Check out the Company's Dossier on Lexis Nexis (through UC Libraries). A company dossier can tell you about a company's financials, competitors, leadership team, and more.
DEVELOP an informed question showing your search and interest (especially do this for your top choice companies).

Uninformed Question for Live Well: Do you have any psychology summer internships available?

Informed Question for Live Well: I recently read about a collaboration with the campus recreation center and digital stories around well being of UC faculty and staff, how did you both start working together and what are some interest stories that have been brought to light?”

Be Ready to Make the Connection

1. SETUP your Voicemail Message on your phone. Recruiters and employers may call and if they get your voicemail, it is helpful for them to leave a message and also know that they called the right person. Be sure to have a clearly stated message and include your first name in your message. Checkout additional tips from Indeed.

2. HAVE an email signature. See examples from the Intern Queen (pictured below and linked here). Set this up on your devices that you email from (i.e. phone, tablet, and laptop/computer). An email signature lets an employer know a bit more about you such as your campus involvement or LinkedIn profile link. Also, it can be helpful if someone who may find it easier to pick up the phone and give you a call to follow up.

Tip: You can use the site name-coach to add a pronunciation and recording of your saying your name correctly to your signature.

Networking is never easy. In other pages we explore specifics regarding Career Fairs and also when networking online via LinkedIn and other platforms. Please take a look at these pages for more tips.