Junior Year

Your junior year is key to networking. In between lectures, studying, parties, trips to the library or wherever you may go, make the most of your junior year. Continue cultivating a meaningful network by adding more professors, mentors, and advisors to your network, as well as, continue to search for potential internships.

1. Be Retrospective. Take a look back at your networking goals that you have set over the past two years. Did you meet them? If not, take the time to evaluate why. Where can you improve? Make any necessary changes and move forward. "It's great to have ambition to ultimately succeed in a chosen field, but don't let that make your vision too narrow too soon. Don't shut out the larger picture: that there will be dozens of ways to fail, succeed, and grow." -- Heike Currie, Program Coordinator Communications, The Juilliard School.

2. Be Innovative. Create a strong resume, and yes a resume does matter. Be creative with your resume. Use people in your network to critique it so that you are able to put your best foot forward. Now is also the time to be creative with “networking cards.” You need to have something tangible to hand out to people.

3. Be Online. Networking can happen anywhere and anytime, including online. Develop a solid reputable social media presence. Improve and polish your LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook profiles. Social media is one of the first places potential employers will look before hiring you, your presence matters.

4. Be a Dreamer. Make a list of dream companies that you would like to work for and start targeting them. Think of people in your network that might help you get your foot in the door. If possible meet and interview their employees.

Sophomore Year

The exhilaration, challenges, and not to mention the awkwardness of your freshman year are far behind you. By now, you’ve hopefully settled on a major and are beginning to iron out a few post-graduate plans. Therefore, your sophomore year is a great time to begin to focus on specific network goals.

1. Be Polite. Set a goal to meet one new person everyday. Whether it is just saying hello or taking time to strike up a conversation, you will organically build your network, as well as, work on your people skills.

2. Be Active. Get involved with clubs and organizations that are specifically aligned with your major. By obtaining memberships to professional organizations, you can ultimately give yourself a boost in attaining future goals.

3. Be Proactive. "There is absolutely, positively no better strategy to figure out what career or careers you might want to pursue, and then break into that field, than talking to people who have done it themselves." -- Lindsey Pollak, author of Getting from College to Career. Meet with professors, mentors, potential employers, and other professionals. They have a wealth of knowledge about their specific fields and have ample contacts that could be assets to your network. They can also help you find an internship, which could potentially parlay into a post-graduate job.

Freshman Year

The moment you step foot on your college campus is the moment you begin building your network. The people you meet at freshman orientation, in freshman lectures, at a party, in the student center, or essentially anywhere could play the most instrumental roles in your post-graduate career. There are a few easy steps to take to cultivate the connections you make your freshman year of college that can last a lifetime. These connections can turn into connections to your future, including co-workers, bosses and, of course, friends!

1. Be Gregarious. Be Social. Talk to anyone and everyone, there is no need to be picky or exclusive. "Everyone has a network. Your friends, family friends, classmates, employers, graduate teaching assistants, hairdresser, dean, librarian, professors, and, yes, neighbors, are all in your network and can help you expand your contacts. No one starts from scratch and you never know where any connection may lead." -- Lindsey Pollak, author of Getting from College to Career. Don’t be too selective in networking; keep your net wide. The average college student changes their major approximately two times; therefore, a lot can change over the course of four years. Dreams and goals could align by senior year.

2. Be Interested. Building meaningful relationships means taking time to truly get to know people. Ask questions, not just about their goals and career plans, but also about their family and hobbies. Then open up. Cultivating a meaningful network is about building genuine relationships and friendships.

3. Be Adventurous. Step out of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation with a random stranger. Join a variety of social clubs and organizations, including Greek life. Sororities and fraternities are tight-knit groups; they will often lend a hand to their members.

4. Be Intentional. Set networking goals for yourself each semester. Whether it is joining a new club or meeting a certain number of people, always challenge yourself.

Recently, I was listening to Chas Wilson, CEO of Master Networks, speak about networking and he said something that struck a chord with me, “The size of your network equals the size of your net worth.” As entrepreneurs we are constantly aware of our net worth. We know if we are in the red or the black. We know our projections and if we are surpassing last year’s margins, but we rarely shift our focus from our net worth to our network. Imagine if we were as meticulous about our network as we are about our net worth.

Networking is building a list of trusted industry professionals as resources. Your network should be based on quality not quantity. It doesn’t matter how big your network is if it isn’t full of trusted referrals. How would it feel to become one of the biggest assets and resources to your friends, family, and clients? When they need something whether it is a realtor, handyman, painter, house cleaning service, car salesman, etc., they don’t hesitate to contact you because they know without a doubt that you know and recommend quality people. I recommend knowing and having at least 2 quality people to refer to your friends, family, or clients in each industry category.

So, what’s the size of your network? Is it the size of your desired net worth? If not, get busy building a network full of trusted resources and the size of your net worth will follow.

If I told you that according to a recent study a measly 8% of people tasted victory as they rang in the New Year by keeping their New Year’s Resolution, would you still make one? Chances are you would because after all, you don’t fall into that 92% who gave up mid-February. You are an entrepreneur. You are a self motivated, determined, and persistent. You finish what you start. You know that most New Year’s Resolutions fail because people tend to set too many goals and want instant success. They treat their resolution like a sprint instead of a marathon that lasts all year and tend to set goals that add no real value to their lives. They don’t equip themselves with the tools they need to accomplish their goals and that’s just not you!

As you reflect on last year and prepare for next year, set a New Year’s Resolution that will keep your business healthy and thriving in 2018 - set a networking goal. To insure success be specific with your goal. Evaluate your current networking and identify where you could improve and then create a networking road map that will help you achieve your goal.

Do you need to increase the number of people you meet?

o Often we get complacent with networking. It becomes a routine: rinse, lather, and repeat.

o Joining a networking organization like Master Networks will help you broaden your circle of influence.

o Look at a calendar and select a few key events. Who are you going to target at these events? Be specific with your goal for each networking event.

o As the year continues, set a larger goal each month.

Do you need to improve your follow up?

o Continue to follow up throughout the year. One of the most efficient ways to follow up is using a Customer Relationship Management tool like Next Level Suite.

o Categorize people into certain groups. This allows you to stay in meaningful contact with people throughout the year.

By equipping yourself with the right tools throughout the year, you will be 8% that tastes victory as you ring in 2019. Make 2018 the year of networking success!