NETWORKING. March 2015 THIS REPORT IS FREE TO SHARE AND USE, BUT CANNOT BE MODIFIED

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1 NETWORKING March 2015 THIS REPORT IS FREE TO SHARE AND USE, BUT CANNOT BE MODIFIED

2 Preface On Friday 6 March 2015, Pivotal Business Society participated in the career fair Karrieredagene in Øksnehallen, Copenhagen. As a part of our participation, we encouraged our visitors to share their very best networking tip. We facilitated an on-going discussion of the tips as they were collected through the day, and the visitors were asked to vote for the best networking tip, which they would try practicing themselves. This report is the result of the above-mentioned. We hope you will enjoy reading the report and that you will benefit from it. Please feel free to contact any of the board members for any questions or comments. Sonny Gaarslev Chairman sonny@pivotal-business-society.com Christian Buje Tingleff Vice Chairman christian@pivotal-business-society.com Jacob Medard Frederiksen Board Member jacob@pivotal-business-society.com Peter Flindt Heckermann Board Member peter@pivotal-business-society.com Hans Christian Lindstrøm Wegge Board Member hc@pivotal-business-society.com Peer Kølendorf Advisory Board Member Morten Thonsgaard Jensen Advisory Board Member

3 PURPOSE The purpose of this report is to collate all of the collected networking tips and to rank these in accordance with the vote counts. We have included our comments for the tips that have received more than five votes. THE NETWORKING TIPS WITH COMMENTS The networking tips are divided in the following four categories: Behavioural, Action, Social and Professional. For ease of reading, each tip is named a letter. Behavioural A: Be straightforward and committed, and put full power on the charisma. B: Be open and take action. C: Be curious and show that you are interested - ask, ask, ask. D: Make yourself unique. E: Be yourself and relax. F: Follow your dreams. G: Smile. A: In our opinion, commitment and charisma is key. People are exposed to many networking opportunities each day, so make sure that you are interesting and that you cut the crap. By committing yourself, you will automatically make yourself far more attractive. Commitment might be achieved through a consistent, intense focus on the activities you are currently involved in. B: Never rule anyone out of your network before you have given one a chance to prove ones value and profile. Networking is about expanding your horizon, and not necessarily about meeting copies of yourself. It is crucial to have a network with both deep roots and broad branches. E: Networking is a unique combination of professionalism and social behaviour. Thus, it is important that people feel comfortable when you are talking with them, even if the topic is very serious. Therefore, you need to relax and create a nice atmosphere, which will automatically improve the constructive environment. Being yourself is far better than trying to obtain an artificial charisma. Actions H: Always follow up and remember. I: Start with giving. J: Engage yourself in voluntary work and leisure activities. K: Be active on LinkedIn and follow up immediately after meeting a new person.

4 H: It might seem too basic to even care about, but it is essential to create your own system for remembering even the smallest things that you promise (e.g. I will send you my contact information as soon as I get home to the computer ). You will not only benefit on your trustworthiness, but also distance yourself from your competitors. J: It depends on your current life situation, but meeting people in informal manners is usually good for your network. When people are off work, they might be more approachable and easier to have a quick chat with. In addition, when a relation is already established, you can always build the professional part on top of it later by having an approach to use. K: LinkedIn is a useful tool, but it requires you to use it right. The goal should always be to extent your network, so make sure always to follow up and invite people to your network when the lead is still hot and while they still remember you. It is usually worth using two minutes to write a personal invitation or maybe a follow-up message. LinkedIn can also very well be used in a more proactive manner - nothing is wrong with approaching new, interesting people straight away on LinkedIn (most people are always open for new opportunities). Social L: More social activities (beers in the Friday bar etc.). M: Invite for a quick, informal cup of coffee. N: Be proactive - extend your network before you need it. O: Always remember that it is in people s nature to want to help (help me = help you). L: Do not underestimate the value of social activities. People tend to be more open and easy to speak with under social events, so make sure to use this in your networking. It is perfectly all right to start a chat with should we go grab a beer? and then follow it up with some more serious topics on your next contact with the person, if the mood is right. Be curious and strive for getting to know new people every day. N: Networking really should be an integrated part of your daily life. It is not something that you can spend one hour on in panic when you really need it. It is a holistic concept that you need to put a certain effort into. However, it is possible to think networking into many of your daily activities and combine it with those. Hence, you can minimise the necessary effort you have to put into it. Networking should be fun, and it is, if you just keep yourself laid back in your attitude towards it.

5 O: Networking is not only about taking, but also about giving. Therefore, you need to have established a basic network, which you will be able to serve and help. When this base is in place, you will always be able to benefit from the network itself. It is easier to ask for help from people whom you earlier have helped yourself. Professional P: Specialised networking events based on business fields and professions. Q: Analyse the present relation and who you are talking with - and remember the nonhuman players. R: Focus on one specific topic and share your knowledge. STATISTICS We have created a graphic overview of the votes for each networking tip, which can be found below.

6 So, what now..? Networking is complex and no perfect recipe for success exists. However, with simple tools you will be able to maximise your output from networking. Which tools that are suitable for you will always be an individual assessment, but one thing is certain practising is key! Each time you meet new people, you will not only get the opportunity to expand your network, but also be able to observe their networking techniques, which might very well be useable for you to some extent as well. It is our humble hope that this report will contribute to your networking skills and techniques to maximise your output from networking. We would like to encourage you to choose one of the above networking tips, which you will try working with over a fixed period. Afterwards, you will hopefully feel that you have improved your networking skills, and maybe you might want to choose another tip to work with. Even the best can always become better, so: Happy networking! About Pivotal Business Society Pivotal Business Society is an exclusive, network orientated business association based in Copenhagen, Denmark. What makes the concept unique is the facilitation of networking between young, ambitious, up-coming business professionals and more experienced, settled business professionals. Membership of the organisation grants access to an extremely valuable network, but also quarterly events, supplemented with regular social networking events. The purpose of Pivotal Business Society is to facilitate networking between experienced business professionals and young, ambitious business professionals from different sectors, to the mutual benefit, by hosting relevant events for the members of the association; however, with regular participation of third parties. PBS organises one quarterly large event, always including snack and wine networking and an interesting speech. The events are always followed by informal networking sessions, where our members meet each other crossing pre-existing relationships, status etc. Furthermore, a number of minor, social events are organised throughout the year. APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP AT