1. BUSINESS
NETWORKING -
THE ESSENTIAL
PRINCIPLES
Science without borders

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1. Elevator speech. Describe yourself concisely and impressively.
2. Be different. Differentiate yourself. Aim high. Be best at something.
3. Help others. Help others and you will be helped.
4. Personal integrity. Integrity, trust and reputation are vital for networking.
5. Relevant targeting. Groups and contacts relevant to your aims and capabilities.
6. Plans and aims. Plan your networking - and know what you want.
7. Be positive. Be a positive influence on everyone and everything.
Seven essential principles

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1. Introduction "My name is..."
Look the other person in the eye. Smile. Shoulders back, Stand up straight,
Speak with confidence. Sincerity and passion are crucial in making a strong early
impression.
2. Short Story Where are you from? What did you study?
This is to give the other person the chance to find out a little about your
background and what your skills are.
3. Body What are you looking for? Why did you decide to do the Science Without
Borders program?
This will help the other person to understand your motivation and will help to
create an overall impression
4. Close Smile and thank the other person for their time
1: Describe yourself - elevator speech

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2. Be different and ambitious
 What can you achieve in your internship? How can you make a positive impression?
 Show initiative.
No matter what the task is, always complete it to the best of your ability. If you find you have
finished all your work, ask what else you can do. Be looking for the chance to shine.
 Talk to people. Find out about them.
What job do they do? How long have they been doing it for? What suggestions do they have for
you?
 Socialise with your co-workers when appropriate.
Join them for coffee or lunch. Sometimes the best results come when people are relaxed.
 You only have a short amount of time to make an impression.
Make sure it’s the impression you want to make. Be on time, helpful and have a positive attitude
and you’re sure to succeed.

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3. Help others
 Always prioritise helping and giving to others ahead of taking and receiving for
yourself.
 You must give in order to receive. Be helpful to others and you will be helped in
return.
 Networks of people are highly complex, often it is not possible to see exactly how
and why they are working for you. So you must trust that goodness is rewarded,
even if the process is hidden and the effect takes a while.
 Use the principle of 'what goes around comes around'.

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4. Keep your integrity - build trust and reputation
 The oxford dictionary defines integrity as ‘the quality of being honest and having strong
moral principles.’
 Always keep your integrity.
 Sometimes a situation arises which tempts us to do the wrong thing, causing harm or upset that
could have been avoided.
 Making such a mistake can damage personal integrity.
 We are all human and mistakes happen. If you do make a mistake or wrong decision, - whether it
significantly undermines your integrity or not -, always admit it and apologise.
 Failing to apologise for wrong-doing often damages a person's integrity and reputation far more
than the original misjudgement itself.

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5. Seek relevant connections
In order to build effective connections in a short space of time you need to consider who are the best
people to talk to. Whilst a senior manager such as a C.E.O might sound impressive, are they the most
useful connections you could build? Or could you find people who are more relevant for the current
stage of your career?
Some considerations for the types of connections to make could be based on:
Background – Does someone have a similar background to you?
Position – Is someone working in a position you would like?
Academic or technical grouping – Is there a specialist in the organisation?
Other common interest (e.g., Sport, music, artistic pursuits, etc)

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6. Plan your networking - know what you want
 All projects need managing. Business networking is a project, and so it needs managing. You can
use various tools to manage your networking.
 You must manage your networking, or it will manage you.
 Create a linkedin account.
 Add the people you have been working most closely with.
 If you would like a reference make sure that you do everything you can to prove you deserve a
positive letter or recommendation.

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7. Be a positive influence
 Be positive. Use positive language. Smile. See the good in people.
 Be known as a really positive person. It rubs off on others and people will warm to you for being
so.
 Keep your emotional criticisms of others and personal hang-ups to yourself.
 Speak ill of no-one.
 Be passionate and enthusiastic, but not emotional or subjective.
 Avoid personalising situations. Remain objective.
 Seek feedback and criticism about yourself and your ideas from others. It is the most valuable
market research you can obtain - and it's totally free.