This video addresses networking and the two-hour job search by Steve Dalton. The idea of networking terrifies a lot of people. Find the idea of talking to strangers awkward or intimidating. Others think that networking is false and all about using people to get ahead. If the word networking makes you uneasy, You are not alone. However, it doesn't need to be that way. Networking is simply about making connections, sharing information, and building relationships. Let's use a simple example to demonstrate the concept. In this example, you are a successful Cornell student and back home while in the supermarket, your parent runs into a work friend. They chat and your proud parent mentions that you are studying at Cornell. Really, what a coincidence. The co-worker's daughter is also currently applying to Cornell. Next thing you know, your parents texts you and asks, Would you be willing to speak to her coworkers daughter about your experience at Cornell? Now, if you have a time, you would probably do your mom or dad a favor and talk to this person. The individual calls and you start to tell them about your experiences at Cornell. You share about your classes, which professors you like, where to eat on campus, how to ride the t cat, what clubs and activities yet involved in, the best places to hang out off campus. And what to expect from an Ithaca winter. And there were definitely be benefits from this simple interaction. You would have provided truly helpful information for a prospective student considering Cornell. You might have even had a nice, pleasant conversation and made a new acquaintance. And in general, this favor to talk to a prospective student, took minimal effort on your part. You did not need to prepare practice what you were going to say, you simply shared your experience and opinions. But let's re-imagine the same scenario however when the prospective student calls you. All she asks is, can you get me admitted? Well, that would probably bring your conversation to a quick end because you are a business student, you have no control over who gets admitted to Cornell. And this actually holds true for many of the industry and business people you will meet over your career. They may not be able to give you a job, but they still have valuable information to share, just like you did about Cornell. I liken in this example to asking a stranger for a job referral the first time you speak with them. Sadly, this immediate "Can you get me admitted" or "Can you give me a referral" approach is why most people dislike networking and believe that it's fake or just using people. But that is NOT what networking is. Networking is NOT about simply collecting job referrals. Instead, it's building connections and relationships and sharing information. The previous Cornell example demonstrated that networking always begins with information sharing. So if you want to know what it's like to work as market research analysts and investment banker, a controller, agricultural investment analysts, et cetera, you are going to need to talk to people who work in these positions. The first step to connecting people is your outreach. Make sure that your e-mail for networking is 100 words or less. Make it short and to the point, no mention of jobs you want or requests for referrals and your first outreach. Remember information is golden. The connection goes first. What do you have in common? Or why you're reaching out for them? And finally, you're only asking for 15 minute conversation. You want to be considerate of their time and their busy schedules. Here is a simple example. Hello Ellen. My name is Megan and I'm a current Master of Professional Studies Management student at Cornell. I saw from your LinkedIn profile, you also graduated from Cornell. Go Big Red! I really admire your career path and consulting. I'm interested in pursuing a consulting career and I was hoping you would be willing to share some of your insights from your experience. If you're open to it, I'd love to set up a 15-minute meeting via Zoom so I can ask you some questions and learn more about you and your career. Understand your schedule may be busy. So I'm also happy to pass along some questions via email if that's easier for you. I look forward to hearing from you. After the outreach, once you've secured a conversation or informational interview, you want to make sure that you research the person you're going to speak with and prepare questions to ask. Usually you should have at least five to six questions ready for your 15 minute informational interview. Here's some sample questions that you could ask. You could ask could you describe one of your typical workdays were part of the job? Do you find most challenging? What do you find most enjoyable? Can you describe the corporate culture? What qualifications do you seek in a new hire and many more. Best practices during your conversation or informational interview. Take notes on all advice given. Ask your questions, but also go with the flow of conversation. Meaning let the conversation organically developed and do not worry about getting to all of your questions. Look for opportunities to give back. Networking is not one-sided. You should always be looking for ways to give back to the people you speak with. This can be as simple as sharing what's new on campus when speaking to an alum, follow-up if they tell you to read an article or reach out to another colleague or send them your resume for review. Make sure you follow through. And finally, thank people for their time during the conversation and with an e-mail after. So hopefully now you understand the value of networking and that it's a relatively small asked of executives and alumni for information. Make sure that you know that networking is not just for your first job out of college, but it's a lifelong skill. So now that we know it's valuable, how do we determine who to chat with, who to contact and when do I actually get a referral? One of the best ways to strategically identify who to network with and ultimately get a referral is to read the two-hour job search by Steve Dalton. It is a strategic approach to making connections for your job search and has been a game changer for business students. In addition, part of the benefit of attending Cornell is that we bring excellent experts to campus to speak, such as Steve Dalton. So be sure to watch his video on the two-hour job search on the Cornell video on-demand, as well as watch the career management calendar for when we might be offering live presentations by Steve Dalton. You have any questions regarding the video content, please contact careers@business.cornell.edu.