The Dex Guide To

MBA Networking

A definitive, no-frills roadmap for building an unrivaled MBA network that drives real-world impact throughout your career.

Edition v1.3 | Updated on February 25, 2025

Credits

Original Authors

Kevin Sun
Matthew Silberman
Alec Reiss

Introduction

MBA Factors: (Factors with the most influence on the decision to apply to MBA Programs)

If you’re reading this, you likely already appreciate the transformative potential of an MBA—beyond the classes, case studies, and finance models. You know it’s not just about the classes you take or the business skills you gain—it's about the people you meet.

You’re intelligent, capable, and ambitious, but you can’t get where you want to go alone.. The one who always raises their hand in class? They can help you sell anything. The one you met at the holiday mixer? They’ll underwrite your IPO.

An MBA can completely change your career trajectory. The proof is in the numbers: nearly 40% of Fortune 1000 executives have MBAs; post-graduation salaries often rise by 50%. While part of this success is rooted in the foundational business skills MBAs provide, 90% of graduates report significant improvements in their professional networks. Studies and data support what we all suspect: people with wider networks tend to uncover more opportunities—and reap higher salaries.

Understanding why networking matters is only the first step. The real challenge lies in learning how to build and maintain authentic, enduring connections—how to do it organically, thoughtfully, and sustainably. No one wants to be “that person” whose every introduction feels like a transaction. Everyone wants to be the person who remembers the little things, who builds and facilitates lifelong connections, and who people can trust.

This guide offers a structured look at how to network thoughtfully during your MBA, ensuring that you come across as sincere, competent, and invested in the communities you join. Networking is both a science and an art. This guide will show you how to do it right.

Why This Guide?

A Note from the Team at Dex

We’re a small but dedicated team on a mission to help people build and manage meaningful relationships. Over the past five years, we’ve developed Dex, a personal relationship manager (PRM) that streamlines how individuals organize and strengthen their networks. No more cumbersome Excel spreadsheets or forgetting important conversations—just a simple way to keep track of who matters.

For the past five years, we’ve developed Dex around the needs of ambitious professionals like yourself. We’ve also worked one-on-one with countless MBA students who rely on Dex to organize their networks and stay in touch with classmates, professors, and alumni.

In writing this guide specifically, we consulted with dozens of MBA students and alumni from top programs such as Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Kellogg, and Chicago Booth. These individuals shared their best practices, common stumbling blocks, lessons learned, and insights into what truly works when it comes to networking during an MBA.

Through their insights—and through our own work supporting MBA students with Dex—this guide outlines best practices to help you enhance your network. Whether you’re looking for co-founders, entry into your target industry, or a robust community, this reference will help you turn intent into action.

Tip: We don’t claim to replace career services or the invaluable mentorship of professors and industry contacts. Think of this guide as a complement to those resources—a pragmatic, experience-based toolkit you can return to throughout your MBA.

Why Networking is Important

“Dig your well before you’re thirsty.”
-Harvey Mackay

MBA enrollment has risen steadily over the past decade, heightening competition for the most coveted post-graduation roles. It’s no secret that the market for MBA graduates isn’t what it used to be. Not only have MBA application numbers soared to a 10-year record, but even at the top five programs, up to 20% of graduates remain unemployed months after graduation. In the age of AI, MBAs have been satirized and even criticized by Elon Musk.

Unemployed MBA graduates contemplate their future. Source: Reddit

But no matter the market conditions, one key truth remains: relationships have immense power to open doors. The reality is people make decisions based on who they know and trust: anywhere from 70% to 80% of jobs go unadvertised, instead filled via internal referrals and personal connections. In a climate where MBAs no longer guarantee automatic job placement, your ability to stand out often depends on who you know—and who trusts you.

Networking isn’t about a flurry of superficial handshakes or LinkedIn invitations. It’s a strategic, patient endeavor requiring sincerity and consistent effort. Like Warren Buffett’s beloved rule of compound interest yielding massive returns out of early, incremental investments, during your MBA every small, positive engagement grows your “social capital” over time. A thoughtful note to a professor, a post-class coffee chat with a teammate, or a simple introduction at a conference might later lead to career-defining opportunities.

Your social capital is now worth more than at any other time in history. Networking isn’t hard, but it requires intention, effort, and a dedicated routine.

Bottom Line: Whether the market is booming or contracting, a strong network can cushion the fall or amplify your success. If you invest early and often in building genuine connections, you won’t just survive in a competitive environment—you’ll thrive.

Build a Networking Operating System

“Hard work compounds like interest, and the earlier you do it, the more time you have for the benefits to pay off.” - Sam Altman

If you’re doing an MBA, you likely knew you were signing up for an intensive two-year networking marathon. You’re probably already at ease initiating conversations, attending mixers, and meeting new people. If you’re less comfortable with the basics of small talk or introductions, don’t worry; there are plenty of guides to help get you up to speed (here’s one we like).

The guidance that’s harder to find—and the bigger challenge with networking—is how to manage the entirety of your relationships. It’s one thing to meet dozens of classmates, professors, or speakers, but it’s another to understand all your connections in one place, grow relationships past the networking stage, and stay in touch for the long haul.

The answer, as with so many things, is that you don’t have to figure this out by yourself.

After all, David Rockefeller didn’t. It turns out the billionaire banker and scion of one of the most powerful families in history wasn’t naturally gifted but used a systematic approach to track and strengthen his network. Over half a century, Rockefeller filled more than 200,000 index cards with notes on each meeting, capturing not just business details but personal tidbits. These deliberate efforts helped him maintain relationships with politicians, executives, and influencers around the world. All in a five-foot-tall, custom-built Rolodex. Source: WSJ

Rockefeller Rolodex: (A first peek at David Rockefeller’s Rolodex. )

Today, Rockefeller could ditch that Rolodex and instead use a modern, automated system like Dex. And so can you.

Step 1: Get everyone in one place

One of the toughest parts of organizing connections in the digital age is that your interactions can happen on LinkedIn, email, texts, social media, or in-person events. Especially during your MBA, you might meet someone at a club mixer, connect on Instagram, exchange a few DMs about a project, and then run into them again at a conference. It’s easy for these interactions to get scattered across apps.

At best, you can manually track your interactions in one or two of those contexts. Imagine if you could funnel all those contacts into one repository—merging personal and professional details. There’s a few ways to do this:

Choose a Contact Management Tool: Look for a personal relationship manager (e.g., Dex) or even an advanced spreadsheet system (like Airtable) that supports importing from multiple data sources.
Import or Sync Contacts: Pull in your LinkedIn, email, and phone contacts so you can see everyone in one place. Some tools also let you integrate social platforms like WhatsApp or Instagram.
Merge Duplicates: After importing, you might see duplicates of the same person from different sources. Use a built-in “merge” feature (if provided) or manually consolidate those entries.
Let Automation Help: Many systems like Dex will track the frequency of your interactions—so you can see at a glance when you last chatted with someone.

By consolidating and syncing your contacts, you’ll avoid the silo problem where “professional contacts” get stuck on LinkedIn and “personal friends” stay on Instagram. You can then effortlessly stay on top of each relationship without shuffling through multiple apps.

Step 2: Leave notes and use your system

Once you have your contact list under control, you can level up your networking with a few core features. If you’re using a tool or a well-structured spreadsheet, look for the following functions:

Notes

A place to record important details about a contact or an interaction. Maybe you had a quick coffee meeting and discussed potential startup ideas—note down the highlights so you can reference them later.

Keep-in-Touch or Recurring Alerts

Set a reminder to reconnect with someone every few weeks, months, or once a year. Whenever you log a new conversation or the tool detects an interaction, it resets the clock. This helps you avoid the dreaded, “Oh wow, we haven’t spoken since last year!” moment.

One-Off Reminders

Not everything is routine. You might want to remember to follow up after winter break or check in around someone’s companys fundraising. One-off reminders handle the special occasions that don’t fit a recurring schedule.

Groups and Filters

Groups: Manual lists of contacts you can define for any purpose—maybe you have a “Mentors” group or a “Target Employers” group. This could also correspond to categories
Views/Filters: Automated searches that pull together people based on shared attributes (e.g., same undergrad institution, same city). New contacts who meet those criteria can be added automatically. Dex, Notion, Excel, and other systems have the ability for you to create and save filters on data you add into your system.

Using both Groups and filters can streamline how you find and organize people—making it far less daunting to stay connected over time.

Step 3: Make yourself presentable (online)

Most MBA networking happens face-to-face. Even so, the first or follow-up interaction might happen online—especially if you’re reaching out to alumni or industry experts. Think of your online presence as a landing page for everyone who meets you, like future colleagues, mentors, or employers. When we say online presence, we mainly mean three things: LinkedIn, your email signature, and (optionally) a personal website or blog.

If nothing else, focus on this. LinkedIn has long been the undisputed professional social network, but now, even if you meet someone at a party, it’s likely that LinkedIn is where you’ll connect. So spend time polishing your profile by following these steps:

Use a high resolution headshot as your profile picture coupled with a complementary background.
Nail your headline. Aim for simplicity and confidence — boasting will probably work against you.
Craft a short, punchy bio that details your unique interests, skills, and standout achievements
Make sure you mention your MBA! Consider putting “[School Name] MBA” in your headline.

Here’s an example we like:

Source: Jason Yeager

Email Signature

Email signatures can backfire. But when done right, they can materially increase the chance of someone responding to your cold email.

Here’s a great example:

Email Signature Example: (An example email signature)

A clean, professional signature with your name, role, and contact info is often enough.
If you want more flair, you can add a simple logo, link to your website, or a short tagline—just avoid clutter.

Personal Website or Blog

Even though they’ve been around for decades, these are still a great way to stand out.

The best sites for an MBA student are clean, readable, and intentionally designed. This isn’t the place for fancy web design or a complex structure; the website should be easy to navigate and immediately give the viewer an understanding of who you are. Oftentimes, they revolve around what you’ve written or read recently, because in a grad program that’s all about executing on big ideas, what’s on your mind is a great proxy for who you are.

Here’s an example we like:

Example Personal Website: (An example personal website (Source: https://www.nikunjk.com/))

The ROI on writing online is hard to understate. It attracts people with similar intellectual interests in an infinitely scalable manner. Once you start to publish your writing, you’ll never guess who’ll end up reading and resonating with it. Also, from a job candidacy perspective, personal websites are an excellent way for employers to get a living, breathing impression of you compared to a generic resume.

Platforms like Substack, Squarespace, or Wix make launching a personal site quick.
Showcase relevant projects, blog posts, or research interests. This can signal thought leadership and attract people who share your passions.

The lowest lift and highest ROI solution is launching a newsletter on Substack, which takes a matter of minutes. Your newsletter doesn’t need to be groundbreaking; saying something thoughtful online is already doing more than the vast majority of people.

Putting it Together

By centralizing your contacts, setting up reminders, and polishing your online profiles, you’re ready for networking to become a continuously compounding asset. Instead of scrambling to recall names and prior conversations, you’ll have a foundational system. Each new person will have a home, where you can track and take notes on interactions, group your contacts, and set reminders that’ll get you to a second meeting and beyond. And once you keep track of everything— you’ll enable deeper, more meaningful relationships.

Connect with new classmates, alumni, and industry pros—and use your setup to stay in touch well beyond your MBA. As David Rockefeller understood, a powerful network is rarely built by chance. It emerges from intentional effort, steady tracking, and genuine follow-up over time.

Let the networking begin.

How to Network Effectively

“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” - Zig Ziglar

An MBA is a whirlwind of classes, projects, and social events—each introducing you to new people. In navigating these different spaces, there’s a fine line between building authentic, thoughtful relationships and coming across as purely transactional. If you can strike the right balance, an MBA can become one of the most transformative networking opportunities you’ll ever have.

MBA networking means engaging with multiple groups—classmates, alumni, professors, recruiters, and industry professionals—each benefiting from a tailored approach. Below are practical strategies for connecting with each group in a sustainable way.

Classmates

Your classmates will be the people you interact with most as an MBA student. So naturally, you’re going to develop the deepest relationships with them.

These relationships are likely to become more valuable—professionally speaking—as your classmates progress to high-level positions or build their own companies. By building meaningful personal relationships with people around you, you give yourself access to opportunities you may have never imagined.

The beauty of an MBA is that while your classmates’ prospects are bright and ambitions are grand, you get to meet them before any of you have “made it"—so it’s easier to have a genuine, down-to-earth relationship. Relationships formed at this stage can feel more sincere, as you’re bonding through not just the classes but the treks and trips—the shared MBA experience.

Starting your Program and Orientation

The goal, then, is to maximize serendipity and authentic connection. Orientation is a unique window where everyone is new, excited, and looking to connect. Say yes to as many meetups as you can—welcome mixers, campus tours, dinners, or club fairs. The first few weeks and months are when you and your classmates will be the most receptive to new connections. It’s also normal to feel overwhelmed; you might meet dozens of new people in a matter of days.

Follow Up, Privately: Rather than just collecting names or social media handles, follow up with the classmates you genuinely clicked with. Invite them for coffee, lunch, or the next event you’re going to.
Keep Track: Use a simple spreadsheet, note-taking app, or personal CRM to remember names, conversation highlights, and personal details. This ensures you’re not losing connections in the sea of introductions.

Clubs

MBA clubs serve as mini-communities within the larger program, bringing together people who share specific interests—entrepreneurship, finance, tech, social impact, you name it.

Clubs, like events or study sessions, are a great way to get quality time with a more manageable group—with the added benefit that everyone’s there because of a specific shared interest. In addition, MBA clubs are a great opportunity to build your own network of industry contacts.

Stay After Events: Instead of arriving early, linger a bit when things are wrapping up. As the event concludes and most people trickle out, you’ll be able to build relationships with the organizers. These are the people who are most passionate about the club’s topic, and if you’re also genuinely interested, they’ll see it, and it’ll be easy to connect.
Step Into Leadership: Leading a club—whether as a board member or founder—puts you in contact with people you care about. You’ll liaise with guest speakers, coordinate events, and become a go-to contact for others interested.
Founding a Club will give you the strongest chance to meet a high quantity and quality of people. In fact, instead of having to pursue connections yourself, more people will want to initiate with you. Leading a club will also help you establish relationships with your school’s professors and administrative staff.
A great example: one of our users founded the Biomedical Engineering Society at a top university. He frequently brought in guest speakers, one of whom was David Sinclair, a preeminent longevity scientist at Harvard. Sinclair then invited this person to work for him that summer, and it completely altered the trajectory of his career: He’s now one of the top VCs investing in the longevity space.

Parties

Beyond a good time, casual social events and parties are one of the best ways to meet interesting people (if they’re well curated), especially since the relaxed environment makes conversation much more organic and fun.

Particularly in the first few months of the program, try to attend lots of parties to meet the other members of your cohort.

Strike a Balance: Yes, it’s important to study. But especially in the first few months, accepting party invites can help you quickly meet a range of classmates.
Try Hosting: When you host, you control the vibe, guest list, and format. People naturally gravitate to the host, a great time to start deeper conversations. After the event, people will probably reach out to thank you for hosting. If enough people enjoyed it, consider making it a recurring event—and don’t be surprised if the number of attendees starts to balloon.
Formats to Consider: DJ/dance parties, small dinners (small group, single-topic discussions), or casual interest-based gatherings (e.g., “new tech in defense” or “climate solutions”). Hosting a recurring event can become a hallmark of your MBA social life.

As you’re planning, you can use your system to organize / group people you want to invite to each type of event and also leave notes to remember details that would be useful for next time.

Taking the Next Step

As time goes on, you’ll have met a lot of people. It’s okay—even crucial—to focus on those you most click with. After all, there’s only so much time and energy in the day, and the best opportunities will come out of relationships where both sides genuinely enjoy being together. Ask yourself questions like:

Does this person share core values with me?
Are we capable of having stimulating conversations and never seem to run out of things to discuss?
Do I rarely or never regret spending time with this person?
What kind of dreams and ambitions do they have? Do I admire and want to support them, or do I feel turned off or jealous?
Does this person impress me with their curiosity, intelligence, or thoughtfulness?
Does this person make me laugh?
Are there ways I can help this person and vice versa? Do our skills complement each other?

If the answer to one of or more of those questions is yes, you’ve likely found someone worth a deeper relationship with. At the same time, not every relationship is going to be deep, even if you can see the potential for it. You don’t have to coax everyone into becoming a close friend; this is where networking is an art, not just a science.

In fact, your social life will likely be “T-shaped,” in the sense that you’ll know most people in the program broadly (the sides of the T) and deeply know a special few (the long part).

While studying at Harvard Business School, Jeff Immelt, the former CEO of GE, happened to sit next to Jamie Dimon (CEO of JPMorgan Chase) and Steve Burke (former CEO of NBCUniversal). Simply building friendships with people he liked led to a trifecta of three of the most powerful men in the world.

Your MBA classmates may very well become your lifelong friends. Build a system to help you get there by understanding who you’ve met and reflecting intentionally on who you’re clicking with the most.

Alumni

If your classmates form the foundation of your network now, alumni can become your bridge to future opportunities. Beyond your campus and in-person interactions, alumni will be the most receptive to your outreach. Since you’re like a past version of them, you share an invisible bond, and they have a vested interest in your success. One alum’s success benefits the whole network.

On top of that, CEOs, CFOs, and CTOs are more likely to hold an MBA degree than any other graduate degree. That means that at least some of your school’s graduates are now in positions of influence and power. That makes them great mentors, advisors, employers, connectors, and even friends.

Here’s where and how to reach them:

Alumni and MBA reunion events
Meet them when they return as guest speakers (or be the one inviting them to speak)
Look for notable names in your school’s directory
Search on LinkedIn for alumni you may have mutual connections with

Alumni Events

The first is more of an art than science. Knowing the organizers, volunteers, or related administrators can give you an easy way in. Be creative and look for unique angles. Do you know any alums attending? Do you know where it’s being hosted? If you have to, find a way to sneak in: Introduce yourself as a current MBA student who was invited to meet alumni. The rest is up to you; let the attendees see how curious, attentive, thoughtful, and driven you are.

Successful alumni frequently return to speak at their schools. When they do so, they understand that students are going to want to talk to them. It’s often best to not be one of the hundred students who lines up to speak to them for 30 seconds. If you have to, wait until everyone has left before you engage. Waiting in line makes you feel (and seem) desperate, which is definitely not what you’re going for.

School Directory

School directories are undoubtedly the most comprehensive resource. They give you a complete picture of all of your school's graduates and ideally their contact information. Some schools even have services that match alumni with students. Screen for people in your field of work, perhaps even at your dream company or dream job.

Before you send cold outreach, check on LinkedIn whether you have any mutuals. If so, ask that person whether they really know the alum you’re trying to reach. If they do, ask for a personalized introduction. Cold outreach has a 1% success rate. Warm intros succeed over 70% of the time.

Assuming you have no mutuals, email is oftentimes the best weapon in your offensive arsenal. Going straight to text is invasive and won’t be received well. LinkedIn appears transactional, and very few of us actually read all of our inbound messages. Email is more likely to show that you genuinely care.

Cold Outreach Best Practices

When you have no warm connection, a succinct email often works better than a random LinkedIn message:

Personalize: Refer to a recent article, talk, or interview where the alum was mentioned.
Context: Briefly introduce yourself, mentioning your MBA program.
Specific Ask: Clearly state why you want to connect—maybe you’re exploring a pivot into their field or seeking insights on a project.
Short & Respectful: Keep it concise; busy professionals are more likely to respond to an email that’s easy to skim.

Here’s how to craft compelling cold outreach emails with remarkably high response rates:

Hey [NAME],

[One or two punchy lines of praise about the person, ideally related to something they recently posted or an article they were featured in.]

[Explain a bit about yourself and your background and relate it to what you’re curious about in their field of expertise.]

[Make a specific ask. Perhaps you want to hop on a call with them to discuss a specific curiosity/problem that you’re facing. Be as specific as possible — avoid generality to the best of your ability, since this person’s time is valuable.]

Best,

[Your email signature]

It’s imperative to keep it short and punchy and centralized around a single ask. These people are probably busy and get tons of inbound. Short, clear emails yield higher response rates.

If they respond, proceed accordingly.

If not, don’t be afraid to follow up. We oftentimes assume the person wasn’t interested. More likely than not, they simply missed your email or didn’t have time to respond and let it drift down their inbox.

LinkedIn also allows you to see the majority of people who attended or are attending your school.

LinkedIn is most useful in the context of employment. Leverage it by screening for a certain company. Then, view the profiles of each alum who works there and use tools like Dex’s LinkedIn extension to add them to your contact database.

From there, you can add them to a new Group titled “Alumni Targets,” with subgroups for each company you’re interested in.

If you can’t find a person’s email anywhere, search for them in the alumni directory. If that fails, consider using a tool like RocketReach, which has a high degree of accuracy with mining emails.

Remember that alumni are highly incentivized to help you. Many see it as a way to give back. Many also have a strong recruiting bias for MBA students from their school. Leverage this as much as you possibly can, and never be afraid of sending cold emails or follow-ups. Don’t fear failure; fear inaction.

Professors

Professors aren’t just classroom facilitators; they’re often well-connected researchers or practitioners with invaluable industry ties. Building authentic professor-student relationships can open doors.

They’re guaranteed to engage you in an intellectually stimulating conversation
They’re well connected to industry professionals/potential employers
They likely conduct research and may be inclined to collaborate with you

The easiest way to bond with your professors is to attend their office hours. Most students have a natural resistance to doing so since they’re optional, but if you like a professor, go out of your way to be there.

Office Hours: Underutilized yet powerful. Attending consistently shows genuine interest in the course material (and in the professor’s own background).
Read Their Work: If they’ve published research or articles, skim them and bring questions or thoughts. Professors appreciate students who engage with their ideas deeply.
Stay in Touch: Even after the course ends, it’s worth dropping a periodic email to share updates, request feedback, or just say hello.

The best outcome of all this effort is that they write an emphatic referral to your dream company—where they already have a personal connection. Don’t let that opportunity go to waste.

Recruiters and Industry Professionals

Many MBA programs offer direct access to recruiters and professionals who visit campus to try hiring the best and brightest.

Do Your Homework: Research the companies or professionals attending. Prepare a few intelligent questions about their recent initiatives or products.
Tailor Your Approach: Rather than saying “I’d love to work at your company,” speak specifically to what resonates with you—technology, social impact, growth trajectory, etc.
Follow Up Promptly: Send a concise thank-you note or email referencing your conversation. A personal touch can set you apart in a sea of applicants.
Keep in Touch: After a conversation, set a reminder to reach out in 3 months or around a specific milestone. Most MBA students won't be diligent enough to remember to reach out, and a well-timed follow-up or check-in displays real intention.

The Art and Science of MBA Networking

Effective networking during an MBA is part strategy, part genuine human connection. You’ll be amazed at how quickly new friendships can form over coffee chats, class discussions, or late-night group projects—and how these relationships might come back around as career-defining opportunities down the road.

Give Before You Take: Zig Ziglar’s quote above aligns well with Adam Grant’s research on “givers.” Help others—share resources, recommend contacts, or provide introductions—without expecting immediate returns.
Build and Maintain: A personal CRM/relationship manager, spreadsheet, or note-taking system can help you store contact info, reminders, and conversation details, but real connection requires regular, authentic interactions.
Stay Curious: Whether you’re chatting with a professor about cutting-edge research or an alum about their decade of industry experience, genuine curiosity signals respect and often leads to deeper rapport.

Maintaining Your Network Over Time

Networking doesn’t end with graduation. Maintaining relationships is arguably the hardest part but also the most crucial. Even as you join companies, move across the world, or switch industries entirely, the connections you make will continue to be the source of new ideas, partnerships, job opportunities, and encouragement.

Fortunately, as detailed earlier, Dex has several features that make it seamless and nearly effortless to keep in touch over time, whether in person or on LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Instagram, and countless other forms of interaction.

Tools and Tactics

Set “Keep-in-Touch” Alerts: In Dex, you can assign a “Keep-in-Touch” frequency for your most valued relationships. Whether it’s monthly, quarterly, or annually, these gentle nudges ensure your key contacts don’t slip off your radar.
Leverage Network Updates: The Network Updates feature in Dex helps you spot LinkedIn headline changes, job moves, or other major life events at a glance. This creates natural opportunities to send congratulations or offer help.
Contextual Outreach: When you do get a reminder to follow up, go beyond the standard “How are you?” by sharing an insightful article, event invitation, or comment on a post that relates to their interests. Dex makes this easy by displaying your previous notes and conversation history.
Mentors/Buddies: Sometimes a tool is a person. Identify a networking “buddy” (maybe a classmate or friend) where you keep each other accountable. Share goals and report progress. Or find a mentor (an alum or professor) who can guide you through sticky networking situations.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Being Overly Transactional: This is perhaps the number one pitfall. Don’t approach people only when you need a favor, and don’t make every conversation about what you can get. Avoid immediately asking for big favors from someone you just met; build some rapport first. For example, don’t lead with “Hi, can you refer me to a job at your company?” Instead, show interest in them and let that favor happen later or organically. Networking is not a one-time exchange; it’s a relationship.
Failing to Follow Up: You attend an event, meet great people, and… do nothing after. This is a missed opportunity. Not following up means all the effort to meet was wasted because the connection may fade. Always close the loop, or at least send a note explaining any delay. On the other side, not thanking someone who helped you is also a faux pas. A quick thank-you message is a must after one-on-one chats or if someone significantly aided you.
Spamming or Over-communicating: While follow-up is good, too much can border on pestering. Be mindful of frequency. If you sent an email and haven’t heard back, one polite follow-up a week or two later is fine. Respect signals—if replies are short or slow, maybe give a longer interval before reaching out again. Everyone is busy; patience is key. Quality outreach beats volume.
Ignoring Etiquette and Professionalism: Little things matter. Address people properly (especially in first outreach; use Mr./Ms. or Dr. if appropriate, until they say, “Call me [first name]"). When scheduling, propose slots in their time zone (and be mindful of differences). If meeting in person, be punctual and dress appropriately. And absolutely, never badmouth others in networking settings—the world is small and negativity reflects badly on you.
Forgetting Names/Details Repeatedly: It happens to everyone occasionally, but make an effort. There’s nothing worse than meeting someone for the third time and asking, “Sorry, what was your name again?” Keep a cheat sheet if needed or use mnemonic devices. Remembering personal details (like their role or a prior conversation topic) and bringing it up (“How was that trip to Japan you mentioned last time?”) can really impress. The pitfall is neglecting to make those mental (or written) notes. Dale Carnegie emphasized the importance of remembering and using people's names, stating, "A person's name is to that person the sweetest, most important sound in any language."
Stretching the Truth or Overselling: Honesty is crucial in networking. Don’t claim to have a skill or experience you don’t, and don’t exaggerate your interest. Be proud of your achievements, but stay humble. MBA recruiting especially can tempt people to posture (“I have offers here and there” when they don't)—avoid that. It’s fine to present yourself confidently, but also acknowledge what you don’t know and be genuine about your intentions.
Neglecting Your Existing Network: Sometimes in the excitement of meeting new people, we forget those who already helped us. Don’t fall into “networking FOMO,” where you always seek new connections at the expense of existing relationships. Plus, your core network (close classmates, etc.) will be your champions. A pitfall is focusing only on external networking (like alums and recruiters) and ignoring your peer network, which is a mistake because classmates can refer you, support you emotionally, and will be in positions of influence soon enough.
Taking Rejections Personally: Not everyone will respond or want to connect, and some networking attempts might be met with indifference or even rudeness. It’s important not to get discouraged or angry. And never send a snarky reply if someone turns you down or fails to reply. Maintain professionalism at all times. If an event didn’t go well or you felt snubbed, shrug it off and try again elsewhere. Persistence (within polite bounds) pays off.

Authenticity and Generosity

To tie pitfalls together, the overarching way to avoid most mistakes is to stay authentic and generous. If you keep your networking sincere—truly caring about others and offering help more than you ask—you naturally avoid being too transactional or annoying. When in doubt, put yourself in the other person’s shoes: would I appreciate this kind of message or frequency? Am I providing something of value or just asking? Checking yourself in this way guards against common missteps.

By using the right tools, following effective tactics, and sidestepping pitfalls, you’ll streamline the networking process and make it an integral (and even enjoyable) part of your MBA journey and career. As one networking book title aptly says, Networking Is a Contact Sport—it requires effort and practice, but it can yield big wins if you play it wisely.

How Much Networking is Too Much?

“Networking is overrated. Go do something great and your network will emerge.”
- Naval Ravikant

Networking is often frowned upon, and sometimes justifiably so. Many see it as shallow, thoughtless, and only for those incapable of earning a role by merit.

This can be true in many instances. It’s blatantly obvious when someone is transactional.

The irony of networking is that the less you try to network and the more you try to make genuine friends and pursue your intellectual curiosity, the better your results.

The best networking doesn’t look like networking. Think of it like planting seeds: the earlier and more thoughtfully you start, the greater your harvest.

Conclusion

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
-Mike Tyson

An MBA is more than a degree—it’s a platform to build relationships that will define your personal and professional life. Networking during your MBA will present unique challenges, but with a solid strategy and the right tools, your network will become one of your greatest assets.

Your MBA experience isn’t just about case studies or leadership frameworks; it’s about the relationships that will direct your entire career. With the right networking operating system in place—both in mindset and in practical tools—you’ll be prepared to cultivate meaningful connections long after those two years of classes.

Still, networking can be demanding, and it won't always be easy: awkward silences, moments of burnout, or people who don’t reciprocate. When that happens, remember why you started:

Long-View Mindset: Relationships often lead to more at unexpected times. People might recommend you for a role years after a chance meeting.
Genuine Intent: If you approach networking as a way to support others as much as yourself, it won’t feel transactional.
Resilience: Even if you face setbacks, keep showing up. Consistency over time builds trust, which in turn creates opportunities.

Ultimately, an MBA is more than a credential—it’s a launchpad for connections that will shape your professional and personal life for decades. Begin with intention and stay consistent. That steady, grounded approach will set you apart from those who treat networking as mere checkbox-chasing. Your future self—and likely many classmates—will thank you for it.