Networking Like a Professional
Building and maintaining relationships in the professional world is no longer just a matter for the executive floor. Almost everyone benefits from their own industry community. How important is successful networking to you?
Networking can be a lot of fun and one of the easiest ways to find a new job or advance your career. With the following tips on networking, you can quickly raise your social capital in various professional situations, despite our current economic circumstances or social distancing scenarios. Use these strategies to maintain and expand your interaction map in order to network successfully:
✓ The basics:
Before you start reaching out to new people, evaluate carefully who is currently in your network. It’s not about collecting the most connections, it’s about productive relationships that can benefit your career. Making a list of the most valuable connections you already have that align with your current goals will help you to be efficient, organized and purposeful when building your network. Your objectives play an important role in the whole process because one of the most important parts of networking is identifying your intention and then deciding what strategy to employ.
✓ A Clear Networking Strategy:
The right contacts are strongly related to your networking goals. However, it can also make sense to network with like-minded people and people who think differently on a professional level. Make a conscious effort to network with different people outside of your “bubble”. The focus here is on the exchange based on professional experience, knowledge and further training as well as paying particular attention to employers and career opportunities. At the same time, role models in your specific career branch are extremely valuable, as you can learn a lot from them.
✓ Content Counts:
The search for common interests shouldn’t take too long, because you want to network with each other for professional reasons. But think carefully about the content that you actually want to offer to your connections. Focus on the positive. Nobody wants to hear a long sad breakup story. Instead, people feel the need to help and explore opportunities. So ask! Make it clear what you are looking for and actively ask about the company in which your friends and network contacts are working. Remember asking whenever appropriate, if there is anything you can do for them. Always remember: you too have valuable knowledge.
✓Added Value:
Try networking by finding out who the other person is and how you can help them in any way. It is well known that giving comes before taking. Many forget that. Use your expertise to help others. You could improve your relationships by sharing something you learned about a new technology or a piece of advice on using certain software. You could send them links to articles on topics that you think are relevant to the industry your connections are in. Share what you’ve learned as a thank you for your new connection and to keep in touch. Don’t hesitate to ask your friends for any open positions if you are actively looking for a job. Filing a position could possibly lead to a bonus for your friend and could become a win-win situation.
✓Work on your network before you need it:
The best time to start networking is before you need it. You do the right networking by skillfully introducing yourself, contributing content, adding value, and remaining authentic. You can do this at any point in your career. Professional networks have to grow and be maintained over time, so don’t expect a fruitful community from the get go. Be patient. Activate your network with commitment, determination, and consistency. This works best when you enjoy networking. Experience shows that your efforts will pay off sooner or later.
Building relationships with professionals is a skill and, like any new skill, you need to practice it over time. Be patient and let natural timing work to your advantage. Slow and careful is better than fast and random. Putting the effort into maintaining your network will give you many advantages in the interactive professional world: Successful networks are a treasure chest, filled with inspiration, ideas, and collaborations!
No matter what professional position you are in or whether you are currently looking for a job or not, we encourage you to connect with us. Take advantage of working with our knowledgeable recruiters and become part of their valuable network. Let’s connect.
