{"id":8690,"date":"2020-08-27T11:58:59","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T15:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/?page_id=8690"},"modified":"2026-03-17T13:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T17:32:14","slug":"tips-for-successful-networking","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/career\/buconnects\/tips-for-successful-networking\/","title":{"rendered":"BU Connects: Tips for successful networking"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>BU is committed to connecting the University\u2019s community of students and alumni to encourage professional success. To ensure a responsible and professional networking environment, we ask that you please read and follow our 4 Tips for Successful BU Networking before you begin building your network on BU Connects.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/buconnects.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/alumni\/files\/2020\/08\/BU-Connects-Logo-Final-1024x153.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"75\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8578\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/files\/2020\/08\/BU-Connects-Logo-Final-1024x153.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/files\/2020\/08\/BU-Connects-Logo-Final-636x95.png 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/files\/2020\/08\/BU-Connects-Logo-Final-768x114.png 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/files\/2020\/08\/BU-Connects-Logo-Final-1536x229.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/files\/2020\/08\/BU-Connects-Logo-Final-2048x305.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tip 1 &#8211; Ask for advice &amp; information:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don&#8217;t ask for a job. BU Connects is about building your professional network, personal development, and gaining advice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Tip 2 &#8211; Be purposeful &amp; professional:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When writing a networking email, use a descriptive subject line, introduce yourself, mention the BU connection and briefly explain why you\u2019re contacting this person in particular.<\/li>\n<li>Be clear about the information you are looking for and avoid asking questions that can be answered by viewing their LinkedIn profile or company website.<\/li>\n<li>Be professional: avoid slang, emoticons, all caps and be sure to proofread for errors in grammar, spelling and tone before sending.<\/li>\n<li>Respect member preferences \u2013 be sure to review the specific ways in which members have volunteered to help or offer mentorship.<\/li>\n<li>Maintain your personal and professional integrity in all communications by always providing accurate information.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Tip 3 \u2013 Engage in responsible networking: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you\u2019re meeting a mentor in-person for the first time, suggest a public place like a coffee house near their place of work.<\/li>\n<li>Do not spam contacts with multiple emails, generic messages or solicitations.<\/li>\n<li>Always follow the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/career\/buconnects\/community-guidelines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BU Connects Community Guidelines<\/a> and be responsible with all members\u2019 personal information..<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Tip 4 \u2013 Show your appreciation &amp; follow up:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Send a brief thank you note or email after networking with a member of BU Connects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BU is committed to connecting the University\u2019s community of students and alumni to encourage professional success. To ensure a responsible and professional networking environment, we ask that you please read and follow our 4 Tips for Successful BU Networking before you begin building your network on BU Connects. Tip 1 &#8211; Ask for advice &amp; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16959,"featured_media":0,"parent":8504,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8690"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16959"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8690"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9633,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8690\/revisions\/9633"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}