Networking in Unconventional Spaces

As a growing professional, the top tip I am always given by mentors, professors, and guest speakers is to grow my network. I have a different outlook now, but the thought of networking used to seem shallow and transactional to me – very “here’s what I can offer you, now what can you offer me?” I think this view was based off of my very limited networking experience at the time; I was a freshman in college whose only real experiences connecting with others in a professional setting, or so I thought, were employer showcases and career fairs. I felt as though I was having the same conversations over and over again:

Teagan: Hello! My name is Teagan.

Employer: Hi I’m (employer). Nice to meet you.

Teagan: *Elevator pitch* and I was wondering (insert question) about your (company or experience).

*A minute or two of small talk and light exchange of information is shared, perhaps even a resume, and Teagan exists stage left, neither Teagan nor the employer remembering each other after that.*

Little did I know how my networking outlook would crescendo into incredibly meaningful takeaways, fruitful opportunities, and even feelings of eagerness for my next opportunity to put my name out there and extend my network. There are two notable experiences that caused this shift: pursuing a hobby and voicing feedback about an app.

I have many passions that make my life feel whole. My two main escapes both involve music: playing the violin and dancing. The latter is where our first networking story is centered. I joined a swing dancing club during my first semester of college, and it is simply a blast. Unlike other types of dances, such as ballroom, hip-hop, or contemporary, swing dancing is a social dance built on fundamental steps enjoyed with jazz music; it is built on connecting with the community, rich culture, and appreciation for the musicianship. Every week, I always look forward to learning more technical elements of the dance itself and mingling with other dancers. Something I did not expect with this artform was how many parallels it shared with my quasi-dreaded networking scripts. When dancing with someone new, it is customary to exchange names and pleasantries, similarly to how a conversation at a career fair starts. The whole time I was socializing on the dance floor, I was creating meaningful connections with my community members – I was starting to build my network without even realizing it. It felt so natural because it was natural. Learning about someone’s field of study sparked my curiosity to ask about what research they’re a part of or what thesis they were exploring. This led them to asking me the same. Because of my participation in a hobby and my involvement in a community I genuinely enjoy, I grew my network to include engineers, computer scientists, researchers, and just really great, brilliant people.

It is very in my nature to want to be helpful and give feedback whenever I can in order to solve problems or make improvements. Turns out, this gravitation for feedback is what attracted my first ever job offer. My university has a one-stop-shop for everything U of I, from campus news to checking your meal plan; the Illinois app quickly wove its way into my everyday life. The more I used it, the more I thought about ways I could add value to it, such as connecting my Fitbit app to the dining hall menu to ensure I was getting enough protein every day. One day, I received an email that the Illinois app developers were looking for user feedback in the form of a one-off Zoom meeting. I was the first to sign up. During the meeting, the developers were asking me questions about which aspects of the app I liked and which ones I thought could be improved, and at the end of the meeting I shared all of my ideas with them. A week later I received an offer to join their app feedback team. By showing my genuine interest in their product and helping to solve problems, I quickly built new, genuine additions to my network. This was another instance where my networking interactions were not built on transactions but curiosity and authenticity.

These experiences that shaped my immensely positive view of networking share a common thread: wanting to create a genuine connection for connection’s sake. This mindset has allowed me to feel much more comfortable socializing with a room of new classmates, esteemed professors, and industry professionals, no matter how experienced. I was able to rely on this confidence with a networking opportunity I had courtesy of the Hoeft T&M Seminar class. Sitting around a table of five fellow students and two professionals in their respected business and science fields, we had riveting conversation that lasted for hours - from how teams can embody a company’s mission statement to what it means to truly be motivated in a line of work and everything in between. Even though this was a more conventional networking experience, I was left feeling like I truly knew what the purpose of networking was all about: not a surface-level exchange of resources but a deep exchange of insight. In fact, that conversation did not even feel like an exchange; everyone built on the ideas of one another to explore new ideas, change perspectives, and bridge knowledge gaps. At the end of the day, isn’t that what networking is all about? When I think of what a network is, I picture a web that’s interwoven and ever expanding. If an attempt to grow your network leaves you with no takeaways, as if you just had the same old conversations that you always do, with prospective employers at the same old networking events, is your network even growing? Is your web expanding?

In a world of business casual coffee chatters, be a swing dancer or a feedback giver. Above all else, be genuine and make connections for connections sake. Not only for the sake of making more strides in your career, but for the sake of holistic fulfillment.