| Course | MT106 Foundations for Success in Business and Management Careers |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 8 |
| Paper type | Networking plan |
| Length | About 890 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MT106 Unit 8
Three Rings of Contacts Around One Decision: A Unit 8 Networking Plan
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
MT106: Foundations for Success in Business and Management Careers
Unit 8 Networking Plan
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The writer, his contacts and every message are composite and illustrative; the sources cited are real.
The Goal
By the end of Week 9, I will have the evidence to declare a concentration: two informational interviews completed, one with a logistics or operations manager and one with a project coordinator, plus one conversation with someone who has worked in both.
The Contact Map
I sorted contacts into three rings by closeness. The first ring holds people I talk to every week. My operations manager at the distribution center knows how people move from receiving lead into supervisor and logistics analyst roles, and I will ask him about that path. The inventory control supervisor worked with me on the dock appointment rollout and can tell me how she sees my project work.
The second ring holds weaker ties. Renee, who worked beside me on receiving until last year, moved to our parent company's transportation group, where project coordinators run carrier onboarding projects; she has offered introductions. A cousin's husband manages a warehouse for a third-party logistics company in another state. A classmate from this course works as a project coordinator for a construction firm.
The third ring holds people I do not know yet. Our local chapter of the Association for Supply Chain Management holds monthly meetings, and the regional chapter of the Project Management Institute runs an evening networking event each quarter.
Granovetter (1973) argued that weak ties, people we know less well, are often more useful for new information than close ties, because they move in different circles. My first ring knows only my current world. The second ring, especially my former coworker, is where the project management information is.
The Profile Audit
My networking profile currently reads "Receiving Lead at a regional grocery distribution center," with no summary and a list of duties copied from my job description. Project coordinator profiles I reviewed lead with outcomes and name the projects they coordinated. I will change three things. The headline will read "Receiving lead coordinating dock scheduling and cross-functional rollouts in cold chain distribution." The summary will describe the dock appointment project and its result, the reduction in trailer wait times from 94 to 51 minutes. The experience section will match my Unit 6 resume.
Outreach Messages
To my former coworker, a close contact, the message is short: "Hi Renee, I'm working through a career course and trying to decide between supply chain and project management. Would you be willing to introduce me to one of the project coordinators in your office? I'd ask for twenty minutes by phone, and I'll send my questions ahead."
To a project coordinator I do not know, the message is more formal: "Hello Ms. Okafor, Renee Alvarez suggested I contact you. I lead receiving at a grocery distribution center and am choosing between a supply chain and a project management concentration in my business program. Could I ask you a few questions about your work for twenty minutes, at any time that suits you in the next two weeks? I'd be glad to send the questions first."
Both messages state the time requested, the purpose and an easy way to say yes.
Interview Questions
Eight questions aim at the decision rather than at general advice. What does a typical week look like in your role? Which parts of the work take the most persuasion of people you do not supervise? How did you move into this role, and what experience counted most? What would someone from a warehouse floor find hardest about the job? Which skills or software should I learn first? How does pay grow over the first five years? What do people in your role move into next? Is there anyone else you think I should talk to?
The second question matters most, because the self-assessment I wrote in Unit 2 showed a habit of avoiding hard conversations, and the answer will tell me how central they are to project work.
Timeline
In Week 6 I will update my profile and send the message to my former coworker. In Week 7 I will interview my operations manager and send the introduction request onward. In Week 8 I will complete the project coordinator interview and attend the supply chain association's monthly meeting. In Week 9 I will write summaries of both interviews and send thank-you notes within a day of each. Wolff and Moser (2009) found in a longitudinal study that networking behaviors predicted later salary growth and career satisfaction, but only when the contacts were maintained, so each thank-you note will include one thing I plan to do with the person's advice.
Follow-Up
Three months after each interview, I will send a short update describing the concentration I chose and why. Forret and Dougherty (2004) found that some networking behaviors, such as increasing internal visibility, were linked to career outcomes like promotions, which suggests that keeping my operations manager informed may matter as much as meeting new people.
The person most likely to answer my question is not someone I know well; it is someone my former coworker knows.
References
Forret, M. L., & Dougherty, T. W. (2004). Networking behaviors and career outcomes: Differences for men and women? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 419-437. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.253
Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360-1380. https://doi.org/10.1086/225469
Wolff, H.-G., & Moser, K. (2009). Effects of networking on career success: A longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(1), 196-206. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013350
MT106 Unit 8 instructions, in plain terms
The eighth unit asks you to build a networking plan that supports your career goals. Start with a goal tied to a decision or a target role, not a wish to meet more people. Map your contacts by closeness, giving each a purpose and an approach. Audit your professional profile against what your target roles advertise and list specific changes. Draft outreach messages, adjusted for a close contact and for a stranger, stating the time requested and the purpose. Prepare informational interview questions aimed at your decision rather than general advice. Set a timeline that places each action in a week of the term, and plan follow-up, including thanks and later updates. Many sections ask you to cite research on networking or weak ties. Expect about three pages in APA 7, often with message drafts included.
How this MT106 Unit 8 example is built
The sample's goal names two interviews and one conversation with someone who has worked in both fields, by Week 9. The contact map sorts close colleagues, weaker ties and strangers at association meetings, with Granovetter explaining why the former coworker in the transportation office is the best route to project information. The profile audit rewrites the headline and summary around the dock appointment project. Two outreach messages appear in full, one to a close contact and one to a stranger. Eight questions follow, with the one about persuading people outside one's own team marked as most important because of the Unit 2 self-assessment. The timeline places profile changes, interviews and thank-you notes week by week, citing Wolff and Moser on maintained contacts, and the follow-up section cites Forret and Dougherty on internal visibility.
MT106 Unit 8 rubric: what earns full points
Credit for a networking plan follows its focus and its practicality. A goal tied to a decision earns more than a general aim, and a contact map with a purpose for each person shows the writer knows why each matters. Grounding the map in research, such as weak ties, shows understanding of how networks supply information. Profile changes should be specific and connected to target roles. Outreach messages that state the time requested and the purpose, and differ by closeness, show professional judgment. Interview questions aimed at the decision, rather than at general advice, earn more. A week-by-week timeline and planned follow-up show the plan can be carried out. Granovetter's weak-ties article and the studies by Wolff and Moser and by Forret and Dougherty make up the reference list. Message drafts should read as messages someone would actually answer.
MT106 Unit 8 help: mistakes that cost points
Networking plans often list every person the writer knows with no purpose beside each name. Others aim to grow a network without saying what for. A common gap is the profile audit, which many plans skip or treat in a sentence. Outreach messages are often too long, too vague about the request or identical for a close friend and a stranger. Interview questions drift toward general career advice. Timelines sometimes cram every action into the last week. Follow-up is the most forgotten part, though maintained contacts matter more than new ones. If you feel you have no network, start with former coworkers and classmates; weak ties often matter most. Share the decision you are weighing and a few people you know, and a writer can help you map the contacts and draft the first message.
Get an MT106 Unit 8 example written to your instructions
Share the roles you want to reach, your current profile text, the Unit 8 brief and its rubric. The custom networking plan drafted from those comes back in 24-48h, a first one free. Contacts appear by role only, so the names stay with you and the outreach drafts are yours to adjust. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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MT106 Unit 8 questions, answered
What if I do not know anyone in my target field?
You almost certainly know someone who does. Begin with coworkers, managers, instructors and classmates, and ask each for one introduction. Professional associations often run student or early-career events, and alumni groups are another route. Your plan should show that first ring honestly, even if it is small, and explain how each contact might lead one step closer.
Do I have to complete the informational interviews for this unit?
That depends on the section. Some ask only for a plan with prepared questions; others expect at least one conversation completed and summarized. Check the prompt. If an interview is required, request it early, since people's calendars rarely move quickly, and keep a backup contact ready in case the first request goes unanswered.
Is a professional networking profile required?
Many sections encourage one, and some ask you to show changes to an existing profile. If you prefer not to maintain one, ask whether a revised resume summary can stand in. Either way the point is the same: a clear headline and summary that tell a contact, in seconds, what you do now and what you are moving toward.
Where can I find a free MT106 Unit 8 sample paper?
This page holds the complete MT106 Unit 8 networking plan with a three-ring contact map, profile changes, two outreach messages, interview questions, a timeline, three references and margin notes.
Why does the plan rely on a former coworker more than close colleagues?
Close colleagues know only the writer's current world. The former coworker works where project coordinators do, which fits research showing weak ties often carry the most useful new information.