Making Connections: Tips for Networking Events

Written by Katrin Surkan

Networking is making professional friends.

That’s it.

You know what it feels like to sit in a classroom, and the professor or teacher announces, “There will be a group project. Please choose one or two partners to work on this together.” The more people you know in the class, the easier it is to decide, “Oh! I would love to work with that person. I know them. They work hard,” or even simply “I do not know anyone but the person sitting next to me because we smiled at each other this morning.” Either way, students tend to choose as partners those with whom they have connections. The same is true outside school.

Everyone attending a networking event is there to build connections, and a connection is simply a memorable answer to “I need this done. Who could do it?” But most connections do not start from reciting a resume.

“You can have many skills, but if your relationship-building skills are weak, no one will see them,” explained Jon Hall, vice president of marketing for Hillsdale College. Mr. Hall told some of his story, emerging from serving tours in Iraq as a member of the U.S. Army to working in the civilian world. At his first job with Kraft Foods, he noticed his colleagues going out of their way to build relationships with their peers and management. “I saw them networking and thought, My work will speak for itself; I’ll just work harder.”

His work was noticed, but when he then began a job at Whirlpool, he decided to intentionally build relationships as well. “I realized meeting with other people was a two-way relationship,” Mr. Hall added. “I realized that senior employees could give advice and input on projects within the larger picture, and the junior employees could provide honest feedback on smaller-scale issues within the company and updates on the work from the ground.” This held true for him as both a junior and senior employee.

As a student, you know what this feels like. You build connections with the people who, like you, share the hobby of reading or watching that show that just came out. You build connections with people who help you pick up your books when they tumble to the floor on the first day. You build connections over sharing that last booth in AJ’s, as you scarf down lunch before a 1:00 p.m. class and share relief over not being stuck in the noon rush line for ages. The same holds true for networking.

When you attend networking events:

• Appear neat and clean. Follow dress code or default to business attire.
• Be friendly. Talk to anyone who looks interesting. It is flattering to be sought out!
• Be kind. Offer to help people, even strangers. Treat service staff well.
• Ask questions. How was the trip to the event? What is their specialty?
• Be open. Share stories about yourself.
• Ask for advice, if you want or need it.
• Do not limit the experience to your own expectations. Setting a clear goal for what you need may prevent you from connecting with someone who could be more helpful or just simply more interesting.
• Be honest. Do not hide your strengths or your weaknesses. Do not advertise either.
• Know what matters to you.

Be a good coworker, but above all, be a good person.

Afterwards, choose two people who stood out to you as interesting or exciting or helpful. Email or text them, if you have that information. Connect with them and two or three others on LinkedIn, sending them a message with the connection request about how you met (i.e. at what event, introducing yourself with a sentence about what you two discussed there).

“You know what I see when someone asks to speak with me?” Mr. Hall asked. “I see someone who wants to build a relationship.” It is exciting to meet new people and learn from them! Not just for you, but for them, too.

Now you have a network, slowly growing. Keep in touch with the people you like, even if just to congratulate them on LinkedIn when they achieve or publish something or to send them an updated resume or a picture from the trip you had been planning when you met. And when you want or need something, think of the people you know. Who might have an opportunity for you? Who might have the skills you need? Who would be fun to work with? Reach out to them and ask for it.

Katrin Surkan, ’25, has roots on the east coast but can almost always be found traveling. When not writing, reading, or chatting with someone new, she’s likely looking for a dog to pet or singing at the top of her lungs between classes with a cappuccino in hand.

Published in April 2025