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Why using non-engineering interests is key to building your engineering network

March 3, 2019 by SolTheEngineer 2 Comments

The Situation . . .

The day has ended and you are going out with your work buddies. Are you going to continue to talk about the details of a work project?

You might complain about your boss. Or you might complain about office environment in general. You might even talk about the girl in accounting that you want to ask out on a date.

However, one thing is almost definite . . . you are not sitting their bonding over the engineering projects you are working on. As you sit there and laugh for hours, you are getting to know each other on a more personal level.

You share in your love for the local football team.

Maybe you’re a foodie or perhaps you share your desire to find a good authentic restaurant that can serve you a meal like you had back in your hometown.

Or maybe you share some details about your siblings and how they can drive you crazy.

Using this to your advantage . . .

It is these non-work topics that really help develop your connections. If you can make a connection with someone on this level, then it will really increase the level of your network connection overall.

Over the years, I have made great engineering connections that started because we both liked the same TV show growing up, the same sports team, or that we went to the same engineering school.

Remember, as I noted in a previous article, you want to build a strong network for the future, but with no specific purpose in mind [Read that article here, Why you need to build your engineering network EVEN if you are not job searching]

Long story short, don’t limit yourself to talking about engineering when you are are trying to connect with other engineers. Be yourself and try to open up a bit.

I think you will find the results to be much greater than if you stick to talking only about engineering.

Need some additional guidance & materials?

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  1. Guidebook for Developing Your Engineering Network. Detailed instructions to supercharge your connections! The perfect guide for your job/internship search.
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Filed Under: Communication skills, Networking

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Comments

  1. zaman says

    March 8, 2019 at 3:20 pm

    sir i am recently graduated mechanical engineer having experience of two internships form well known manufacturing industries in Pakistan
    what could be my LinkedIn profile summary about?

    Reply
    • SolTheEngineer says

      March 9, 2019 at 8:25 pm

      Thanks for reading. As a younger engineer, I’d mention what is was that made you want to enter engineering and discuss some details about the internships that you found most appealing. The profile summary is a great place to show your uniqueness, so try to avoid boring, stock text.

      Reply

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