Networking Tips from Sophie

This is my daughter Sophie Gould - rising college senior and film major - off to her first day interning at a production company in Manhattan. To her immense credit, Sophie skillfully employed networking to land this great opportunity – a practice many seasoned professionals still find daunting.

Sophie's approach is a testament to her strengths and determination:

➡ Cast a Wide Net: She identified a large group of connections in the film and production industry through family and friends, capturing all this information in a detailed spreadsheet.

➡ Reach Out and Follow Up: Sophie diligently worked through her list, reaching out to schedule brief introductory calls and politely following up 2-3 times if she didn’t get a response.

➡ Tell Her Story: In her meetings, she delivered a practiced, concise story about herself, her experiences, and what she was looking for this summer.

➡ Ask for More: She made it a point to ask for further introductions to anyone else she should contact.

➡ Track and Follow Through: Sophie kept meticulous notes and followed up on any threads that could yield interesting experiences.

All the while, she maintained her usual friendly and engaging conversational style 😊.

It's not rocket science, but all about execution and keeping up positive energy for each interaction. Sophie's results have been outstanding – even in a challenging internship environment for college students.

In addition to her slot at an active production company, she's Assistant Directing a grad student's film and helped craft a teaser video for an exciting new reality TV series. And she's just getting started.

We’re super proud of Sophie and thrilled that she's already developed this crucial skill of nurturing a network of valuable professional connections. What a fantastic head start!

(Originally published on LinkedIn)