Network your way

This time of year is ripe with both relief and anxiety for recent MBA graduates. While the pressure of final projects and exams has passed, grads who haven’t landed a job yet might be feeling the weight of those loan payments about to kick in.

I recently spoke with Sara Gaviser Leslie, a Columbia Business School MBA who is currently a case writer at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, about the importance of networking when searching for your first post MBA job. She graduated in 2002, and, like members of this year’s graduating class, found jobs somewhat hard to come by. But she was hired in July of that year, and has successfully networked her way to many fulfilling jobs since then. Here are some of her tips for getting the most out of your networking efforts.

1. Put your research skills to use: Gaviser Leslie started her post MBA job search by making a list detailing the kind of job she wanted, then searched databases to find people who did similar jobs at places she wanted to work. She followed up twice, then dropped it if she didn’t hear back. While predictably there were many people she didn’t hear back from, the takeaway is that several contacted her.

2. Ask for informational interviews: People will be more apt to meet with you if you express interest in finding out more about their job, rather than asking them if they can get you a position in their company. When Gaviser Leslie went on these informational interviews, she tried to be as specific as possible about what she wanted to do in her career, which made it easier for people to suggest others she should get in touch with. “I also made it a goal to leave these meetings with the name of at least one other person I could talk to,” she says.

3. Extend your network: Cold emailing company directories isn’t the only way to network with potential employers. Gaviser Leslie recommends extending your network by asking your peers what their parents or siblings are doing and asking for an introduction if it seems like they could help.

4. Be organized: Gaviser Leslie kept a detailed spreadsheet of everyone she spoke with, which was not only a valuable resource for her, but for friends who were later looking for jobs. Also, “when you’re methodical you feel like you’re getting something done,” says Gaviser Leslie. This in itself can be a valuable morale booster when you’re in the midst of the job search process.

Courtesy of the Stacy Blackman Blog