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Building your professional network can open doors to new career opportunities – both internally and externally. Many organizations post open jobs internally before going to the outside, turning to the power of their existing workforce’s networks. In fact, I’ve seen articles reporting that up to 70% of all jobs are not published externally and upwards of 80% are filled through networking. Even if those numbers are a bit inflated, it still suggests that a lot of opportunities are discovered by who you know.
But even when you’re not looking for a new job, networking can help you build your confidence, boost your communication skills, market yourself or your business, and learn new things.
However, networking can often conjure up images of awkward handshakes, forced icebreaker activities, and uncomfortable small talk. So, we need to regularly develop our networking skills to receive its value. You don’t have to be ‘a natural’ at working the room to learn how to grow your professional network.
7 Steps for Successful Professional Networking
Building a professional network takes time. That’s why it’s so important to think long-term when it comes to networking. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve seen people ignore their network only to regret it later. Regardless of how long you’ve been working, these seven steps are a must:
- Have fun! It might be tempting to think of fun last, but you don’t have to. It’s okay if every networking event isn’t valuable. You won’t always walk away with new LinkedIn connections, plans for coffee meetups, or on-the-spot job offers. While networking can help us get those things, the focus shouldn’t always be what you ‘get’ out of it. When all else fails, have fun conversations and be a good person. Being (genuinely) kind will only add to your integrity.
- Maintain a professional and positive attitude. Speaking of integrity, people who are most successful at networking have a positive, professional attitude that makes others want to know and connect with them. It should go without saying but let me say it anyway – avoid making negative comments about events, employers, and / or others. This is likely to drive others away and could come across as unprofessional.
- Be an active listener. Being a good listener is one of the most important qualities of a great networker Listening makes others feel heard and will leave them with a great impression of you and the conversation. Listening helps us to ask good questions and engage in more genuine conversations.
- Build trust through authenticity. Take time to establish trust with people. Being authentic will help build your credibility and keep you top of mind after the event. You can do this by some of the things we’ve mentioned so far: actively listening, asking questions, finding something you may have in common, and possibly making suggestions or recommendations.
- Follow-up! Actions speak louder than words when it comes to developing a networking. Be sure to follow through on what you say you’ll do. Again, this helps to establish your credibility. That means sending the link to an article you discussed or facilitating the introduction you promised to make. At the very least, make a positive impression by sending a LinkedIn connection request and/or message to your new contacts to thank them for their time or say that it was nice to meet them.
- Connect people with opportunities. As great as networking can be for your own professional development, it’s also an exciting opportunity to help other people with theirs. Do your best to provide value to the new people you meet by facilitating introductions, sharing advice, offering feedback, or actively seeking ways you can help them. You’ll feel great knowing you’ve helped someone, and when an opportunity comes up for them to return the favor, it’s highly likely they will.
- Develop connections rather than transactions. There’s nothing wrong with attending a professional event with some networking goals in mind. But in the end, do try to also have some fun and enjoy your time. Networking isn’t supposed to be drudgery. Being too intentional about a goal to “meet XX people” or “make XX new contacts” can add unnecessary pressure.
It’s Who You Know
We all know the phrase, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”. Your networking skills will remain a key tool to help open doors for you professionally throughout your career. You can use networking as a way to learn more about the jobs and industry you’d like to work in, meet people who can connect you with those opportunities, and develop the communication skills, which will be vital for any future role.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby after speaking at the SHRM Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV
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