Professional networking: how to start a conversation

Professional networking means starting and maintaining working relationships: meeting people, exchanging experience and returning to a conversation when you have a shared question. You can start with one person and one clear request. A large contact list or an expensive conference does not guarantee a job or new clients.

Choose a reason to get in touch

Write down what you want to understand and why this person might have a useful perspective. “I want to expand my network” is difficult to discuss. “I am moving from customer support into analytics and want to understand typical first assignments” gives the conversation a direction.

Use this table to choose a conversation, not to rank people's worth. Someone does not need to offer an immediate career benefit to be worth knowing.

Look beyond your closest contacts

In a 2022 Science study by Rajkumar and colleagues, experiments with LinkedIn connection recommendations found that weak ties affected job mobility. The effect varied with the measure of tie strength and the industry; the findings do not mean that the least familiar contact is always best. The MIT account of the research explains this context.

As a practical starting point, think of a former colleague, a course participant or someone whose work you have read. A shared topic gives you a reason to write. Treat this as an option to try, rather than a prediction of what the research will deliver for you personally.

Make the introduction specific

Include the context, your current task and a manageable request. This fictional example needs adapting to your actual situation:

Hi Anna, we spoke about customer research at the alumni meeting. I am exploring a move from support into analytics. Could I ask two questions about your first assignments? I can send them here if that is convenient; there is no need to arrange a call.

In person, introduce yourself in a sentence or two, then leave room for a reply. Choose one relevant example of your work instead of listing every achievement. Our guide to showing your expertise and work online can help you prepare something useful to share.

Agree on what happens next

End with a clear next step: “Thank you, I will try that approach. Would it be okay to let you know what happened?” If you promised a resource, send that resource. Exchanging contact details is not permission to add someone to your newsletter.

A private note usually needs only the person's name, the meeting context and your own commitment. Avoid collecting unnecessary personal details. Reciprocity can mean answering a question from your experience or sharing a relevant public resource. Helping someone does not create a debt they must repay.

Review the first conversation

Record what you understand better, what you will try and what you agreed. The number of new connections does not capture these outcomes. A missing reply does not tell you why someone is unavailable, so avoid interpreting it as either a judgement of your worth or unspoken interest.

If you need somewhere to meet people, use our criteria for choosing networking events and communities. Before sending another message, check the networking mistakes that can make contact feel pushy. Start with one appropriate approach and give the person room to decline.