Apply networking skills to land a job
When you start out as an intern, you'll need to work on three major areas of growth at the same time: your professional reputation, your mindset, and your networking skills.
Scenario: Imagine that you've been working hard to deliver on a project, but no one seems to know anything about you or your project. Does that matter? It might not, if your manager is the only one who'll decide whether to hire you for a full-time role. But more often than not, many other people are involved in a hiring decision. Unless they're familiar with you and your work, they would have little reason to help promote you.
So, how do you make yourself and your work known to others? While you're working hard to deliver on your job-related commitments, network as much as possible.
The ability to network is an important skill while you're an intern, as you're pushing yourself to take on a full-time role, and throughout your career.
When you're an intern or a new employee, you can feel like a stranger in a strange land. You can take concrete steps, however, to quickly connect with people and become known throughout your company.
Your first weeks
There are many ways to network. Start by thinking about the process as a timeline. That is, What can I do today versus a few weeks from now?
When you walk in the door of a new organization or open an online meeting space as a new hire, it can be somewhat daunting. If you've been assigned an onboarding buddy or quickly assimilated into your department or group, you're very fortunate. But if not, you're going to have to proactively seek out valuable connections.
Book one-on-one meetings
The first thing to do is to map out your closest surroundings. Who are your closest colleagues, your manager, and skip-level manager, and what do they do? After you've sorted out who's who, start booking one-on-one meetings with some of them. Schedule these "coffee/tea chats" or "lunch-and-learns" online or in person. The idea is to meet many different people to glean their diverse perspectives.
Does your company have Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), such as a women's group or a multi-ethnic employee group? Are you aware of any groups across the company that meet to discuss interests or hobbies? Groups like these are great to join to meet new people.
Whom to contact first
As a rule of thumb, it's better to start with the people closest to you, your colleagues on your team. But where do you go next? Here are a few ideas for expanding your network further:
Social media: If you follow someone from your new company on social media and you enjoy their point of view, reach out and ask to meet for lunch. You're in a privileged position as an intern. Most people will be more than happy to answer your questions. Take advantage of this moment in your career, and connect with your more experienced colleagues.
By recommendation: Ask your manager to recommend interesting people to meet, and then ask those people for their recommendations. Soon you will have created a network of valuable contacts.
Voices from the business: In a good internship, you're primarily listening and learning. Take the time to speak to all kinds of people in your company, people who understand code, people who understand the business, and those amazing people who understand both. Practice active listening by:
- Establishing rapport with the speaker by listening more than you speak
- Demonstrating your empathy and concern with what they are saying by using good body language
- Asking specific questions, including follow-up questions
- Using verbal affirmations such as 'I see'
What to talk about
OK, you've managed to book a number of coffee/tea chats or lunch-and-learns. What do you talk about? A good idea is to ask people what they wish they had done in their last year of school. Ask them what they wish they had known when they were getting started. Take notes. Someday, an intern might ask you the same question.
Tip
If you need to, write down a list of questions to ask and take notes. You might be surprised by what you learn.
As a new employee, take the opportunity to build your network as broadly as you can from inside your organization.
Software engineer Eleanor Lewis encourages you to explore your options as an intern.
A few weeks in
So you've been at the company a few weeks. You're starting to get to know a few of your colleagues. You've done a coffee chat or two. At this point, it's a good idea to find someone to help guide you. A mentor can provide guidance on how to grow in your role. They might even have a network to share with you.
Find a mentor
Some companies provide a formal mentorship program, and others do not. Either way, you can find your own mentor by cultivating personal relationships within your department at work. Or you can attend company events to meet new groups of people with whom you do not work.
Don't be shy to ask someone to be your mentor, but be aware that it involves a time commitment on both your parts.
Tip
Consider asking your manager if you can take time for mentorship, if it's not built into your daily work by the company.
In "A story from Twitter," Will Thompson recalls a moment from his early career involving a famous CEO who "presented to me and a bunch of new grads once, and said that an intern had once asked him to be their mentor. He couldn't come up with a good reason to say no! He swiftly followed the anecdote by saying "that only works the first time!"
Set parameters collaboratively with your mentor, agreeing to meet for a given number of hours each month for a given number of months. Set goals for yourself and hold yourself accountable to meet them each month. Be sure to come prepared with questions or scenarios that you'd like your mentor's input on.
Note
Be sure to thank your mentor for their time!
Attend internal events
As an intern, you might not attend conferences, but many companies host external user groups or set aside dedicated time for employees to learn about new technologies. Take part in those events, do you your best to engage, learn something new, and get to know other people from other departments.