Souradip Sarkar, a student at MDI Gurgaon from the PGPM 2018-20 batch, among many of his other accolades, has gained recognition for his networking skills and we can never stop drawing inspiration from him. If you are an aspiring BSchool candidate and want to make full use of your MBA, networking is something that you should not miss out on and so we thought to interview Souradip and get views, suggestions and tips directly from the horse’s mouth.
On asking what networking means to him, Souradip said he hates the word “networking” and would rather define it as “relationship building”. No doubt, the way he has built meaningful connections over the years reflect exactly the same thing. Read on to discover some interesting facts and experiences!
One of the primary motivators for any aspirant to join a B-school is to improve their networking skills. How have you taken this?
I had no idea what people meant when they talked about networking in their MBA interviews and naturally, I never used this as a reason to do an MBA. It turned out that it is something that I have been doing since a long time - since my undergraduate days. It was about meeting people, greeting them, talking to them, understanding what their perspective is, and most importantly, learning from them. I did not take up this practice consciously. I liked meeting people from different backgrounds, of different professions and people who have been doing things differently in their life.
How has MDI helped you in providing a platform to take this forward?
The brand name of the college has helped me a lot. The brand “MDI” after your name, helps build your credibility. It at times also becomes an interesting discussion point while interacting with leaders, as they are often keen to know how the curriculum are these days, and it also helps them understand certain points from a current management student's perspective. There have been multiple conversations around MDI where my counterparts have recalled how much they were awestruck by the beauty of campus in the midst of Gurgaon when they had visited, or at times, how they look forward to visiting the campus.
On one instance, as soon as one particular leader heard I was from MDI, he immediately called up his colleague (also a well-known business leader; whom I had heard a lot about, but never had a chance to meet) who happened to be from MDI. The colleague recalled lots of funny stories from his days at college, and incidentally, we happen to share a great bond to this day!
How to do you approach people whom you want to connect to? How to get through the fear factor and ensure that you don’t make a fool of yourself?
I believe this is a psychological wall that you need to dismantle. You should not be afraid of people. The worst thing that can happen is they will not entertain you. But imagine what will happen if you both have a talking point, if you bond well, if you strike a good conversation? New possibilities might open up, new magic might be created and you can take that to any extent.
What happens when you see a person whom you know is an eminent personality but you don’t have anything to talk about? How do you strike a conversation then?
There is a pretext to this. I only approach people whom I admire in terms of the topic that I am interested in. I am a person interested in marketing. So, I connect with people who share the same interest. Even if there is a very well-known person in the finance field, I won’t go and talk to him just for the sake of building a connection. There has to be a common interest and admiration for the work that person does.
How do you build this relationship further, after you have interacted with a known business leader or a leader in their field?
It is just like a normal relationship that you have with your family or friends. I have never thought of it in any other way. I have never thought “how do I build this further?”.
What does a normal conversation begin like? What do I do if a suddenly see someone like Ratan Tata standing in front of me someday?
This is very subjective. I only approach people if I have an appreciation for the work that the person does. I wish the person the best for what he has been doing and congratulate him for that. Thereafter, I would talk about the things that interest me and then try to understand what his interests are for the purpose of increasing my knowledge. The conversation has to be about knowledge gaining, not professional gaining. There is something that I would strictly advise – do not make this relationship transactional. Build your connection at an emotional level.
The next thing is that you have to understand that these people are usually very busy and you have to put out your thoughts and words in a very brief and structured manner when you approach them. So, you have to be good at your elevator pitch.
What advice would you give to those who are new at this because it can be very demotivating if you do not get a proper response when you try to talk to someone?
Very fortunately, none of the leaders whom I have approached have denied talking to me. One common trait I have seen when interacting with these leaders is that they are very humble and perhaps this is what makes them great and stand out. My only advice to B-school students would be that you dismantle the mental barrier while talking to different people. It could be anyone – your colleague, your teammate, your classmate or a leader you look up to. Second, keep the relationship deep and emotional. Don’t make one to benefit your interests. If at all the relationship is transactional, ensure that you are giving more than you are taking.
How do you use social media platforms like LinkedIn to build relationships or your network?
When it comes to LinkedIn, you can definitely call it your network. There are several parts to this. Whenever someone asks me how do you build connections, I ask them back “what do you think is the first step?” Surprisingly, the answer that I get is “Send them a LinkedIn connection request”. I would say this is the last step, not the first. Even if you send someone a connection request, they might accept it but unfortunately, it will also end there. They receive hundreds of connection requests every day. It just makes you a part of the crowd. Always send connection requests to people whom you know – that makes it more meaningful. The person concerned should also know you and then you can connect over LinkedIn and get engaged in a meaningful conversation or at certain occasions congratulate them for their achievement.
It does not matter if you have 500+ connections. I have talked to recruiters and the point of LinkedIn came up. There is something called the “Social Selling Index” or “SSI” which anyone can calculate for their LinkedIn profile. I happen to be in the top 1% in my industry domain. There are 4 parameters in this and there are ways to improve your score. Your network should be relevant and that will make you more influential, not the number of connections you have. The thoughts and views that you share on the platform matter a lot and it increases your value. It is not something random. Usually, it is about what industry leaders are thinking and talking about.
Where and how do you get to meet these influential people?
You start from a small base as I did from my undergraduate college. The numbers for me were small then but it kept increasing. You meet one person and they introduce you to other people. Leadership events are a great place to talk to people. I have been to some of these events. They are called “Networking Lunch” or “Networking Events”. I am especially thankful to Dr. Annurag Batra for this whom I met at my early days at MDI. Fortunately, I was able to connect with him and build a relationship. He keeps organizing a lot of events and invites me. He has helped me several times by introducing me to prominent personalities backstage. Very recently he helped me meet Arnab Goswami.
You are a part of the Alumni Relations Committee of MDI. How has this helped you and did you always want to be a part of this?
Yes. I always wanted to be a part of either the Alumni Committee or the Placement Committee. After weighing in the situation, I went for the Alumni Relations Committee. The main motivation was to also help MDI build better relations with their alumni base. I got engrossed in my work and got the chance to build a lot of connections but never did it for my sole benefit. So, I don’t use the committee’s resources for my personal gains.
What tips would you like to give to anyone looking to level up their networking skills?
Read the news. It helps while conversing with people. You have more talking points.
Never approach people on the basis of their designation. Designations are temporary in this virtual world.
Do not keep your interaction transactional. The only transaction should be that of knowledge.
You should know where to stop. These people are really busy. Understand their body language to know when they want to stop the conversation. They are also human beings and will talk to you if they have time and see value in talking to you.