6 things I wished I knew before I started networking

🔵 I went from academic probation to graduating with a full-time offer by networking.

It sounds simple but in reality, it was anything but. There’s no “guide” on how to network, you kinda figure it out on your own. At least, that’s what I did for 2 years.

However, over those years, I gained countless lessons through my successes and failures, all of which I’ve distilled down to the 6 most valuable.

It took me 2 years to learn these 6 things, it’ll take you 2 minutes to read them.

Here’s the route for today

🎙️ Topic: The 6 Networking Tips

👟 Running the Web: Gordan Ramsey, Apple + OpenAI, and More

✒️ Quote of the Week: Being Genuinely Interested in Others

TOPIC
The 6 Networking Tips

1. Resumes are a waste of time

When I started my internship hunt, I sent out 107 resumes and got back 1 interview offer. Then I switched to cold emailing & messaging.

It took me 3 emails to get an interview offer.

Nowadays, just applying for a job rarely yields results. You need to know someone.

2. Cold emails are the best form of outreach

LinkedIn isn’t a bad option, but recruiters get spammed on that platform.

Emails have a much higher response rate because people habitually file through their inbox every morning.

3. Help others before you help yourself

Not hearing back from recruiters? You have to add value to someone else’s life before they add value to yours.

No one is truly selfless, we care about ourselves the most and return the favor to those who go out of their way to help us first.

4. Be consistent, it’s still a numbers game

Cold outreach is a numbers game. I’ve had times where I needed to email the same recruiter 4-5 times before I got a response.

5. Your coffee chats don’t need to have a goal

The benefit of a coffee chat should be clear, but that doesn’t mean you have to gain something from the first one.

New connections take time to build and follow-up chats are necessary.

6. Networking isn’t a skill, it’s a lifestyle

Networking doesn’t just apply to your professional life.

It’s a part of your communication skills. Improving my networking has also indirectly made me better at forming new relationships.

Some of my closest friends today were those I met at a networking event!

Closing Thoughts:

What are your thoughts on these tips? If there are any you’d like me to go further into, reply to this email!

See you next Tuesday 🤝

-Michael Ly

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Running The Web

👨‍🍳 Gordan Ramsay almost dies in a bike accident.

🚀 Collision - The Olympics of Tech, launches in Toronto for its final year.

🍎 Fashionably late as always. Apple forms partnership with OpenAI

📗 The best book I’ve ever read on communication

INSPIRATION
Quote of the Week

Dale Carnegie - How to Win Friends and Influence People

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1. To learn about my career journey, click here

2. To learn how to tailor your resume, click here

3. To learn how I passed my interviews, click here