Templates for Networking

http://www.wetfeet.com/blog/2012/february/how-to-start-a-networking-email

This post has some really useful information: how to start (draft, begin writing) an email to someone with whom you want to network, but whom you have no idea how to approach.

As in, “you don’t really know who I am, and you probably don’t care, but I think you could really help me out, and everyone keeps telling me it’s important to network, so I hope you’ll forgive this intrusion on your life.”

At least, that’s what you’re probably thinking as you sit down to draft one of these emails (or make a phone call, or even jog down the hall for a face to face discussion). But how do you avoid coming off like a yutz?

Again, these are templates, not tailored to your individual situation. But they do give you a starting point. And very often, getting a few words on paper (making the start) is the hardest part of the battle. We all know that one from writing papers for classes—don’t we!? (Yeah, us old academics struggle with that one too, for conference papers.)