I have a friend who worries constantly over his lack of charm. When he first told me this I looked at him like he'd said his skin turned purple in sunlight. My friend recently became engaged to a woman who looks like a bikini model's younger, hotter sister. He isn't the most gregarious person I know, but is sufficiently respected by his peers that I once saw the host of a frat party shut off music so people could listen to him speak. This is not a man whose social life is in need of assistance. Of course, he wasn't talking about charming classmates. He was talking about networking.
Meeting people is a science, and like all sciences your skill improves with practice and study. First, understand that coldcalling is brutally difficult and rarely if ever works. Anyone in position to hire at a given company sees and dismisses a dozen resumes each day. In that situation you have somewhere between ten and thirty seconds to make yourself memorable, and you won't even be in the room. So don't do it. Stop resume-spamming, and focus on putting a plan into action.
To do this you need a goal. Figure out the job you want before shaking a single hand. Be as specific as possible. Deciding "I want to be in finance" will get you nowhere. Deciding that "I want to be a market analyst focusing on low-risk mutual funds" still might not get you anywhere, but its a start. Why be specific? Because when talking to powerful people the single greatest sin is wasting their time. Prove that you've done the research, that you have a plan for your life and you're going to make it whether they help or not. Alphas like to help other alphas, especially if their only issue is the need for a little guidance. Betas get nothing.
Understand that everyone has connections. The adults in your life have dayjobs (shocker I know). Find out what those are. Your college has a career placement office and (much more importantly) an alumni network. Identify 2-4 people in your chosen industry, and politely ask for a few minutes of their time. Prepare a template introductory email, and customize it for each attempted connection. Say who you are, what you want to do, and why you've chosen to contact them specifically. The entire thing should be five sentences, tops. Again, be confident. Networking, when you're starting out, is about making yourself into someone that others want to speak with. If you don't believe it, they never will.
Right, I think that covers step 1 adequately. Next up, we discuss the art of the interview…
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