If networking intimidates you, then you are likely a college student. I remember being urged to “get out there” and “network” and the nerves that came along with bothering people for career advice and “schmoozing” a job out of someone. When you put it in this context, networking sounds so superficial. Do I feign niceness until a job falls out of the sky right into my lap? No. That isn’t networking.
Networking is just talking, really. It’s making friends, essentially. If you’ve ever said to someone “Oh, I’ll send you a link to that article. I think you’d really like it” – BAM! THAT IS NETWORKING! You made a connection with someone, learned specific things about them, and then referenced those things at a later time for their benefit. Now, replace “article” with “job” (or internship), and that is professional networking.
Yet, we get so nervous when we think about networking. Yet, by my loose, very broad definition above, most everything is networking. You just need an excuse to start the conversation. It is just the same as when you are building a new friendship, or dating. You want to build the relationship to a certain point, so you start with the same trite questions everyone else uses: What are you studying? What do you want to do? Have you seen Breaking Bad? Man, this Donald Sterling thing is crazy, right? They are the typical questions we use to feel out how connected we may or may not be with the other person.
That, in a nutshell, is networking. We freak ourselves out, though, when we start focusing too much on the end goal: GET A JOB. THIS PERSON NEEDS TO GET ME A JOB. It’s the equivalent of talking about good names for babies on the first date.
This summer, take advantage of opportunities to do some natural networking, which is a fancy name I made up for doing something as simple as having lunch with as many people at your internship as possible. If you make it a goal to have lunch with people from different departments, different levels and backgrounds (and maybe your supervisor could even help you find the right people) then you will put yourself in a position to naturally grow your professional network. Use the typical informational questions to get to know your lunch buddy: What do you do? How does it function within the company? Do you like your job? What did you do before this? etc. etc. and it’ll break the ice and you’ll also probably talk about personal interests and current affairs, too.
It’ll make your workplace more friendly (you’ll recognize more familiar faces) and you’ll find the people with whom you’ll want to follow up with as you begin your search for a full time job. The biggest hurdle in networking is determining what to say and what to talk about. People often focus on the end goal, and lose sight of the kindling. If you find yourself unable to clear this hurdle, the lunch idea will give you a natural, low-pressure way to make connections at your internship.
Also, make sure you take advantage of out-of-office activities (like happy hours, softball leagues, etc.) if such things exist at your internship. This is where real bonds are formed. It may sound a little backwards, but the people we are more likely to give professional help or guidance to and the people with whom we have a deeper personal/social relationship. So, if you look at it in this context (I’m just trying to get to know my co-workers a little better), you’ll trick yourself into building a strong professional network.