Mastering the Art of Networking: Tips and Tricks for Success

Networking is one of the scariest things that folks in our community ask us about. For some reason it is universally feared and loathed. So we thought we would spend an entire week of content talking about networking so that we can kick things off strong in 2024 and you feel ready to go out and tackle these networking events. In our Building Biotechs podcast on Wednesday we spoke with Padma who is the Chief Business Officer at a alphabio. I'll link that in our show notes. That was a really good conversation because she gave such good insight into networking and how to make really service driven. And yesterday my Career Coach column came out in Biospace and I answered three very specific questions about networking with tactical tips and tricks. Again, I will link that in the show notes so that you can go refer to that article as well. And today on this podcast I thought we would revisit a roundtable discussion between our co founder Allison hall and two of our amazing recruiters, Daniela Sharma and Jinson Liang. The three of them have a heartfelt conversation that I think you'll really enjoy. It's very human. They talk about real world examples and I think Allison's story about learning to network from a five year old is just amazing advice. So with that, here is a roundtable discussion on all things networking from my amazing team. I'm Karina Klingman, scientist turned CEO of a talent strategy consulting firm. I've helped over 85 biotechs hire and develop thousands of amazing employees so I know what works and what doesn't work. When it comes to landing a job and then excelling in it. I created the Biotech Career Coach Podcast to give you simple, actionable, step by step strategies to help you land your dream biotech job then move up the career ladder. If you are exploring career paths, looking to learn about biotech, or simply striving to be the type of person who makes an impact and gets promoted, you're in the right place.

Hey everybody, we are going to just jump in and start talking about all things networking. Do you want to take a minute and kind of introduce yourself to anyone who may not have already met you through the community?

Yeah, absolutely. No thank you Alison. I'm Daniella Sharma. I'm a recruiter at Recruitomics and very excited to talk a little bit more about networking and how we can give some tips and tricks to help you out with your next networking event.

I'm Jinxin. I am an account manager and recruiter here at Recruitomics Consulting and I'm excited to talk about networking today.

Awesome. All right, let's just get into it. I think the most obvious place to start is just by addressing the obvious. Then people, they fall in two camps, right? You either love networking or you absolutely hate it. It feels like there's no middle ground there. So where do you both fall? Do you love networking or could you really just give it a pass?

I usually have many feelings about networking and but I've learned to love it as a self proclaimed introvert. It's a great way for me to learn more about my field but also really learn about different people or ideas that in areas that I haven't even considered. When I was doing research in behavior, animal behavior in particular, a lot of networking events really helped me open my eyes to people who are doing similar research in human psychology and pharmacology. So not only was a great way to just expand my knowledge and my research, but also learning about people who are in biotech and pharma and other industries that have a lot of parallel connections and collaborations to my own. And it really opened up my eyes to a lot of different possibilities. Now I'm very excited about networking events.

Yeah, I'm going to piggyback on that too. I think networking is an exciting way to just meet other people in the field. But what I found is to learn about career opportunities outside of what we typically think of. During my PhD, part of the networking was going to conferences, whether it was something very big like an American Chemical Society meeting or some of the more focused research conferences. And I think the typical thing is to meet other professors or graduate students. But it's also a great way to meet people who might work in things such as like patent law or scientific sales and really get an idea of what else you can do with your education outside of the traditional career paths that everyone tells you about. So I think it's really eye opening. Learn about different opportunities, but also to talk to your peers in the field and start making connections. And you can come out of these events with either a mentor or a future colleague and sometimes friends.

Yeah, that's actually a great intro into another question that we get a lot which is, I guess it's a twofold one. The first is how do you even find out about these events? What's the best way to stay on top of all of the various networking events, especially now that we have virtual and we have in person events? Let's start with that one. How have we both found various networking events when you were in academia and then coming out and even now in your day to Day professional life when.

I was in academia. So I'm going to date myself a little bit because we're talking late 90s, early early 2000s, a lot of it was still very much in person and who you knew. So being part of groups, even on campus groups, I would say was really important to find out more about these events. Nowadays, being, being connected in social media and signing up for those notifications about local events, even meetups or meetup types of groups, can help you find out about new events. Professional organizations a lot of times will have a list of events as well. And that's a great way to start building a sort of calendar of events for yourself.

I definitely agree with that. Back when I was doing my PhD, it was very much you would get notifications like emails to sign up for conferences. And part of it now is making sure you are on your social media network. So whether it's a professional network like LinkedIn, if I see a company post something for a newsletter, I always sign up for that because staying up to date and getting those emails is a good way to know about new announcements and events. Definitely staying abreast of your social media and checking those email notifications, that's great.

So you've done the work, you find the networking event and then you go to the event and then you have to actually introduce yourself to people, which is so awkward. Right? You're just kind of walking up to random groups of people being like, hi, I'm so and so. Do you guys have any advice, any tips, tricks, any things you've done to hype yourself up beforehand? I think everyone's always open to hearing about how awkward other people feel doing these things and you normalize that aspect for sure.

I think first off, know that everyone else feels exactly the same way as you because we're all there to, we're all nervous. We're all there to introduce ourselves. I think it's good to have an elevator pitch, just a quick, you know, two or three sentence description of what you do. Be an open and active listener when you do introduce yourself. Like everyone else wants to tell you as much about themselves as they do want to hear about you. Be friendly, be open, be engaging.

Absolutely. I, I'm, I am. I'm going to underscore what was just said in terms of keeping it short and also little trip trick on my side. Just remember that you're going to be very nervous at the beginning, but give yourself just a couple of minutes. The adrenaline will move out of your system, the nervousness will go down that first introduction may be a little nerve wracking, but it will get easier. You will become more comfortable. So keep that in mind. And it is true, the other people there are also probably going to feel, you know, nervous, as you know you are. So you're in the same boat. You're in good company. And you can also try different kinds of conversation starters. You can introduce yourself, but also ask them what, what exciting things are they working on? What are they most excited about for this event? And a lot of times that will get the conversation rolling.

Yeah. Or even what brings you to the event? And they might tell you what field they work in. And then a great segue is, how did you get into your current line of work? What was the transition like? And then if you feel comfortable, you can ask, what were some pivoting points in your career that made you pick the path you're on now?

Ooh, I really like that. That's a really good question. And I think, Daniela, to your point too, there is something to be said for practice. So your first networking event is awkward. The first few minutes of talking to someone is awkward. And then typically by the end of a networking event, I find that everyone's just loosened up so much. So the more opportunities you put yourself in to do those networking events, I find that they just become a little bit more habitual and you don't stress so much the first time. Getting into something is always so nerve wracking. Now is a great time for me to share my story about my daughter. After Covid. After we started doing once, we went back to live events after taking a break from COVID During COVID I had to go to a big networking event and I told my daughter and I was very nervous. My daughter was like five at the time and she was like, why are you nervous? I was like, oh, I just have to be around a bunch of people I don't know and introduce myself. And she was like, that's easy. You just walk up to them and say, hi, I'm Allison and my favorite color is pink. What's yours? And it was honestly the best networking advice because it was like, just keep it so simple, right? And so sometimes now I just walk up to you like, hey, I'm Allison and this is awkward because everything's awkward. Or, hey, I'm Allison and what are you here for? And then just don't overthink it. And I think that's been really helpful. So my best networking advice has come from my 5 year old.

I think that's such A great icebreaker too. Like to open up and say, hey, I know this is a little bit awkward. And you just address the elephant in the room and everyone's comfortable and you can get right into that conversation. I think people are definitely more open to that than if you start off really formally because then it feels like an interview and we're already there to network. We're already there for our careers, right?

Yeah.

And different events have different vibes. For example, we went to recently went to a biotech battle of the bands, and that was a very different type of event. And networking would be a little bit different in that type of environment, rather than a more. More serious conference where people, experts in their field, are presenting the latest work. And you can tailor your networking approaches depending on the type of event or the vibe of the event.

Yeah, that's a really good point. And I think one of the things too, that goes along with that is also going into these things, being prepared as much as you can, understanding what the event is, understanding what, to the best of your ability, what the vibe would be, making sure that you have either your LinkedIn QR code ready to go, or business cards. I know a lot of people think that we're not doing business cards anymore, but I've been to so many events recently and it's a lot easier to pass someone a card sometimes than to pull out your phone and interrupt the conversation and it just gets a little awkward. So depending on your level of networking, may not hurt to have both.

Hey, I just want to cut in to say that if you are enjoying this podcast, you may enjoy the Building Biotechs podcast from our sister company, Recruitomics Consulting, which is a talent acquisition strategy firm that specializes in helping small biotechs hire exceptional talent. In that podcast, we interview amazing people who are building biotechs. They are industry leaders in all different verticals, and it will allow you to explore career paths in biotech and to get to know companies that maybe you've never heard about. So if you are a biotech fan, you are exploring careers in biotech. I highly recommend the Building Biotechs podcast. We'll link that in the show notes or you can search for it on Apple Podcasts or anywhere else you get your podcasts. All right, back to our show.

I think something really cool I've seen too is if you have a business card, if you put the QR code to either your personal website, if we're into personal branding, or your LinkedIn profile. And that's so much faster than carrying around a Resume.

I really like that. Yeah, I think the idea of your personal website too, that's becoming like more and more popular. So I love that. And also I guess the one thing we did you touched on briefly was the elevator pitch. And I think going and feeling confident that you can quickly describe what you do and what brings you there is such an important skill to bring to networking. So we do have some lessons on creating good elevator pitches for anyone who is in our Catalyst community. I can drop a link below for anyone who wants to check that out. We've got some good resources on how to craft a really strong elevator pitch. So more to come on that. So you've gone to the networking event, you've prepped, you've done all your stuff, you've gone, you've introduced yourself, you've used your elevator pitch, you've whipped out your business card or your QR code and then the event ends. And I feel like this is where the ball gets dropped a lot of the times too. What do you do after that and how do you actually build your network from that point out? The event is one thing, but the follow up I feel is so critical and usually the missed opportunity.

I think this is where you can use a little bit of your social and emotional intelligence. Think about what the event was. If it was a happy hour, maybe you did exchange business cards. Now would be a great time to go and check out that QR code. If they have a LinkedIn profile, add them on LinkedIn. If it's something a little bit more formal, it's okay to drop an email and say, hey, it was great to meet you at so and so event. I'd love to keep in touch for the future. Or if you're at an event for say a career fair. Right. I think it's totally fine to follow up and ask. It was nice to meet you. Is it possible to set up a one on one informational call or something like an informational chat is something I've actually done in the past where I wasn't necessarily looking for a new career path. But I met someone and I set up a call with them and I just listened to them tell me about their work, how they got into whatever position they're in and it's you learning about them for 20 to 30 minutes. And that's a great way to open the door to future opportunities.

Yeah, absolutely. And the follow up is very important. One of the things tricks that I use is also immediately after the event, I make sure that I make notes about the people I've met not just their name, what interests them, where, what are they looking for and what is their field of expertise. And if I find, you know, articles or industry news, things that I find interesting, I might reach out to them and share it with them either on LinkedIn or perhaps email or, or maybe even other social media sites and just ask their thoughts and that's a great way to keep the conversation going. It's a great way to keep the, the network going and also open my network to theirs and ask if they know someone that has a similar project as you or has some interesting insights. Would you mind if I connected them with you on LinkedIn or send you their email, their information? And opening my network to other people or opening your network to other people can be a great way to keep the, keep the network going.

I really like that. I like that idea of the follow up and keeping that active conversation by providing them some resource or information maybe they didn't have. That's a really good tip. I think that lends a lot more weight to the interaction. It's not just such a transactional, hey, we met and that's a thing. It's hey, we met and I took something away from it and here's something that I thought you might enjoy. I really like that approach. Really good idea. Networking mistakes to avoid. I think we've all probably been to a networking event and left and afterwards been like, oh, that wouldn't have been, would rather not have done that. Mine would be forgetting business cards. That's. I, I've made that mistake once and it was painful.

Yeah, that's a really hard one. My, my number one mistake that I made a lot in the beginning was not to interact or not really capitalizing on the people that tried to interact with me. And that is something I had to really learn about. Another one is to be it comes from one of my students who was learning to network and was not respectful of another person's time and was expecting this professor to provide all these resources, you know, quickly and was getting frustrated they weren't able to provide and I'd remind them about, you know, put yourself in their shoes, think about where they are and really consider what you want to get, get out of this interaction or this connection with them. But be mindful of their time and be respectful of their own needs and what they can provide. And I think that was a really good early in your career to really consider thinking about the other person as well.

I agree with that, especially on being respectful and mindful of their Time. And also like I mentioned earlier, being an active and open listener. You want to have that short elevator pitch we talked about, but you don't want to ramble about yourselves about for 10 to 15 minutes. Nobody wants to listen to 10 to 15 minutes. You can open up, tell them a little bit about yourselves, but definitely be open to asking open ended questions. Let them talk about themselves too. This is a two way conversation, not necessarily a monologue. Be very respectful of their time. Read the room a little bit before you start the conversation.

If you find yourself monologuing and doing that a lot of times you can stop yourself and say apologies, I can talk about this subject for a long time, but let's learn more about you so you can quickly pivot that. And yeah, that I think that was a good trick I learned early, early on.

That's a really good one too because I think people also understand if you stop yourself, oh, maybe they're nervous. It gives you a little bit of grace to back off. So I like that a lot. I have definitely been the person who goes to these events and does not capitalize on the opportunities wallflower myself. And then you realize that the entire point of the event was a little bit lost. And I think again that comes with the practice of just putting yourself out there and feeling confident going into these events that it will all be fine. Ultimately. What's the worst that's going to happen? Nothing. Right? But a really good networking event is such an invaluable experience and they can be really fun. I think when you go with the right mindset and you're really, like you said, open to meeting people, it's, they can be great opportunities. I think we've covered a lot of really good things in here and some good tips and tricks. I would say to sum it all up, be open to the opportunities, seek them out where you can go into these with business cards or QR codes or something, something going prepared and try to have fun with them. And I think also it's another good opportunity to remind people to refresh your LinkedIn because if you're making good connections, you don't want to be scrambling after the fact when you're trying to then do your outreach and your follow up and maintain those connections. So go in well prepared and networking shouldn't be that foreign.

Thanks so much for listening to the Biotech Career Coach podcast by the Collaboratory Career Hub. To join our free Slack group and to get access to other great free resources and materials, head over to CollaboratoryCareerHub.com and be sure to connect with me on LinkedIn. Pro Tip when you connect with me on LinkedIn, you get instant access to my entire network of biotech folks, which is powerful for your career. If you found this podcast valuable, please subscribe or follow us on YouTube so that you never miss an episode. And if you leave us an honest review, screenshot that review and send it to hellolaboratorycareerhub.com we'll give you totally free access to our popular LinkedIn course so that you can learn all of the secrets behind creating a magnetic LinkedIn profile that drives your career forward. Have an amazing week and we'll see you back here next Friday.