With fall in full swing, many of you are probably checking out the Boston startup community for the first time. Whether you’re a student with your first great startup idea or someone looking to leave a big company for a startup, there’s a few things you should keep in mind to make the most of your networking experience.

5 Tips for Networking Success

1) Have a business card

If you meet someone you’d like to stay in touch with, you’re going to want to exchange business cards. No one cares how much your card costs, where you got it or how it looks. As long as it has your name and email address, you’re set. 

If you don’t have a company or startup to put on the card in the form of a logo and tagline, then just put a note of your interests and skillset. This will help anyone you meet to remember who you are and how they can help you later. 

In the end, don’t stress about business cards. As long as you have them, no one cares, and you can do them for really cheap; we’ve been buying Avery printable business cards at CVS since we started Greenhorn Connect and that hasn’t stopped us from making hundreds of great connections.

2) Have a LinkedIn profile

Resumes may be dead, but your online persona has never been more important. Every startuper has a linkedin profile that they use to manage networking contacts; many who meet you and get your card will go home and look to connect with you there. Also, because of the depth of the tool, it’s great for later searching who you know that may be able to give you an introduction or just remembering who you’ve met at a certain company.

Even if your work experience is sparse, do your best to highlight both what you’ve done (jobs and big projects!) and what you’re planning to do. You can always create a company profile on LinkedIn to talk about what your startup is and link to it.

3) Choose the right event

With so many entrepreneur events out there, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. That’s why we do #GreenhornTV and sites like BostInnovation talk about major events from time to time. Think about who you’re looking to meet and whether the event sounds interesting to you.

4) Dress the part

Some events, mainly day conferences, will actually have startupers in suits, but for the most part, people are dressed business casual. You aren’t judged by your appearance as long as it’s not particularly bad. Don’t wear the jeans with a hole in them and the smelly shirt and you’ll be fine.

5) Have a plan

Are you hoping to meet a cofounder? Are you looking to get introduced to investors? Are you trying to meet other people in your industry for advice and camaraderie? Or do you just want to learn about the topic being covered at the event? All of those are great reasons to attend an event, but lead to different actions when you’re talking to others.

When you go out to events, have a plan for what you want to accomplish. Everyone I meet in the startup community is very open and helpful, but you have to ask! If you have a good conversation with someone, that’s when it’s great to ask them for some advice, feedback or if they can introduce you to the investor/cofounder/contact they have that can help you.

A little preparation can go a long way. Armed with a business card, linkedin profile, a clean shirt and a solid plan, you’re certain to have networking success. So get out there!

What advice do YOU have for new networkers in our community? 

*Posted by Pardees on behalf of Jason