Sara's Career Tip of the Month
Hi there! I'm Sara Ayazi. As a career counselor here at the Office of Career and Professional Development, my goal is to help you navigate your career successfully! Each month I write a bite-sized tip on commonly asked career-related questions. You can visit the archive of all of my tips. Or, to receive these monthly tips via email, sign up for our email list.
The process of ending a conversation with another person is like the rolling credits after a movie. You want to signal it is over AND give them time to recognize this. It generally takes a few minutes.
The person who ends the conversation needs to engage in all of the verbal and non-verbal cues to signal its ending. That can include:
- Thanking them for their time
- Exchanging business cards/contact information
- Making a plan to connect in the future
- Introducing them to another person at the event
- Holding out your hand to shake theirs
Here is an example:
Dr. Lannister, thank you so much for this information. It has been a pleasure to meet you. I would like to say hello to several more people before I leave, but I would really like to keep in touch. Can I get your contact information so I can schedule a time to continue our conversation?