How Opportunities Travel: A Guide to Academic Networking

Networking isn’t optional in academia—it’s essential. I didn’t come to this realization naturally. I’m not someone who thrives on large social events or group dinners. In fact, I avoided most school functions as an undergraduate in Korea. I preferred spending time alone—running outdoors during the day, listening to music, cooking, or reading at home in the evenings.

In the course of building my career, though, I learned that opportunities don’t come from effort and talent alone. They come when your work is known—and remembered—by people who can open doors. That only happens if you’re willing to show up, ask questions, and build relationships. Not once, but again and again.

This isn’t always intuitive, especially for international students or first-generation scholars. But networking is a skill. It can be learned, practiced, and improved.

Here are five lessons that helped me—and may help you too.

1. Define your value

Academic networking starts before you reach out to anyone. It begins with understanding what you have to offer—and what you’re genuinely curious about. Before writing to someone, ask: If I were in their position, why would I want to meet me?

That reflection shapes everything: your message, your tone, even your questions.

When I email someone I admire, I try to connect my interests to theirs in a way that’s specific and sincere. Sometimes I point to an overlap in topics or methods. Sometimes I reference a paper or book of theirs I found particularly useful. Either way, I do my homework—and I make it easy for them to see why a short meeting could be worthwhile.

A message that shows you’ve engaged with their work—and have something meaningful to discuss—is far more compelling than a list of accomplishments.

People are busy. But most are also generous—especially when they can tell you’ve made the effort to reach out thoughtfully.

2. Lower the stakes

Professors are busy. Postdocs and grad students are too, but faculty often carry additional institutional responsibilities—advising students, writing recommendation letters, serving on committees, and helping lead their departments.

So keep your messages short. Really short.

Start with one short paragraph explaining why you appreciate their work. Be specific—a paper you found helpful, a talk that stayed with you, a project you admire.

Follow with a second paragraph briefly introducing yourself and what you’re working on, especially if it connects to their interests.

Then close with a third paragraph politely asking if they might have 30 minutes to meet. Keep the tone low-pressure, and frame it as a conversation rather than a favor.

That’s normal. Don’t take it personally. Sometimes I follow up the next year by saying, “I reached out last time but didn’t get a chance to connect—I’d still love to talk if you’re open.” That approach has led to some of my most valuable conversations.

3. Be a service to others

Networking doesn’t begin or end with asking for advice. Often, the most durable academic relationships begin when you create value for others.

In 2019, during my Ph.D. at UC Berkeley, I attended the Summer Institute in Computational Social Science at Princeton. The organizers encouraged participants to help expand the program’s reach. So the following year, I volunteered to co-organize a new site in the Bay Area, hosted by Berkeley and Stanford.

That small act—organizing something for others—connected me with dozens of faculty, postdocs, and graduate students across disciplines. Many of them have since become coauthors, collaborators, and close colleagues. It also brought me into contact with Code for America, a civic tech nonprofit we invited to collaborate. That one encounter eventually led to a full-time job as a data scientist there.

I didn’t think of networking as a way to advance my career. I thought of it as a way to contribute. Being useful, without expecting anything back, often does more to build lasting relationships than any self-serving approach ever could. And usefulness tends to be remembered.

You don’t have to organize a conference to do this. You can offer feedback on a draft, amplify someone’s work online, or help coordinate a small reading group. Small contributions often lead to deeper connections.

4. Build your board of advisors

Networking isn’t a one-time push—it’s a lifelong process of relationship-building. Some people become mentors. Others become mentees. Some become friends, coauthors, or informal sounding boards.

In the course of building my career, I’ve come to think of this as building a “personal advisory board.” It’s not just about your dissertation committee. You need different kinds of support at different stages: people who understand the job market, others who can give feedback on early-stage ideas, and others who can help you navigate big career transitions.

And it’s not just reciprocal. You rise higher when you lift others along the way. The strongest networks are built on shared success, not competition.

5. Treat it as a skill—not a trait

I didn’t grow up thinking I was good at networking. I still don’t love big receptions or happy hours. But I’ve learned how to build relationships in ways that feel authentic to me. And that’s the point—there’s no single right way to do this.

What matters is that you keep showing up, keep learning, and stay open to connection.

Networking is how opportunities travel. Talent matters. So does timing. But often, it’s a conversation that turns effort into momentum.

And like any skill, the more you practice, the more natural it becomes.