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According to Apollo Technical, 80% of professionals find networking essential to their career success. A professional network helps you connect with people in your industry, forming bonds that allow you to take advantage of more opportunities that help you advance in your career.
These networks are essential for everyone, whether you’re a seasoned professional or just getting into the corporate world. Starting out might feel daunting for newcomers because it seems that everyone around them seems to know much more.
Don’t worry—building a network from scratch isn’t impossible. Everyone starts from somewhere, and following some good old tricks, you will sail through this stage of life, too.
1. Start With the Places You Know
A survey by Hubspot found that 85% of open job positions are filled through networking. To get started, it’s essential to begin with the places you’re already familiar with. This includes your university pool, internship connections, or even family and friends working in the industry. These people are your gateway into the corporate world.
2. Take a Leap of Faith
When you have limited networking experience, it can seem scary. But networking doesn’t have to look like the traditional elevator pitch in front of a panel where everyone stares at you as you talk. With the aid of the internet and a more casual work culture, networking is much easier than it once was, so it’s crucial to just believe in yourself and put yourself out there.
3. Use Both In-Person and Online Means
While social media has simplified online interactions, it’s important to remember not to miss out on in-person opportunities. Using online platforms is a great way to build quick and easy connections; however, a study by Forbes revealed that face-to-face meetings build stronger, more meaningful business relationships. This is why a mix of both would be ideal.
4. Compelling Elevator Pitch
According to Coursera, an elevator pitch has a 30-60-second timeframe for relaying the most crucial information and skimming out all the unnecessary pieces. An essential part of building relationships is how you present yourself the first time you meet someone. A compelling pitch is more likely to attract and retain others.
5. Don’t Spam People
No one likes being spammed by their network. According to Social Media Today, putting thought into what you’re sending out, proper research, and an aim to add value to your audience will automatically help you reduce and filter out the spam you’re sending. Instead of mindlessly posting random information or promotional content, find out what your target audience needs and use that to your advantage.
6. Stay in Contact
Staying in touch isn’t as hard as people make it out to be. While you can’t have hours-long conversations with everyone in your network, you can send an article, a post you found interesting, a random opportunity you saw online, or a one-liner of a memory you share with someone. It’s just about the occasional chat.
7. Use LinkedIn
According to CNBC, 70% of jobs are never published publicly. This means that most jobs are being given through your network, which makes platforms like LinkedIn extremely useful. Using this platform can allow you to practice intentional outreach and find connections in different parts of the world. With many professionals using LinkedIn, it’s perfect for newbies to find people here.
8. Collaborations Are Important
The networking process doesn’t end when you initiate dialogue with someone. You have to make an active effort to retain your connection. A great way to do that is to collaborate on a project. It doesn’t have to be vast and time-consuming, but it can be a simple post or livestream to help you experience something together.
9. Join a Community
Experts at Guild talk about community-based networking, where you join communities to learn and grow from them instead of spamming them with your pitches and adverts. When everyone continues to help each other, it will lead to communal growth, and every member will feel the positive implications. So, finding the right community is imperative to growth.
10. Ask For Help
There’s a right way and a wrong way to ask for help. According to Forbes, voicing that you need help is an art that has to be crafted and honed. Instead of dropping your resume and talking about yourself in a giant one-page essay, do your research on the person from whom you want help. Write about how you learned about them and what you liked, and connect it to your interests and backgrounds. This is much more subtle and less annoying, as well.
11. Find a Mentor
When you’re new to the corporate world, having a mentor can help build up your confidence, making you much better at networking. To find someone willing to teach you the ways, connecting with an expert you like and possibly already know is helpful.
12. Attend an International Conference
A fantastic way to expand your professional relationships is to attend an international conference if you can. According to VFairs, to fully reap the benefits of the conference, make sure you have done proper research on the event and don’t look clueless, have a set agenda so you don’t miss out on opportunities, and be approachable so others can also come and connect with you.
13. Build Your Brand
To attract more people to your network, you must first establish your identity through personal branding. Experts at Harvard Business Review state that to build your brand, you need to define your mission, form a personal narrative, and have a compelling brand story that sums up what you’re aiming to portray.
14. Keep up With the Latest Industry Trends
In a study conducted by LinkedIn, 35% of participants said a casual conversation through LinkedIn Messaging led to a new opportunity. This casual conversation can only start if you have something to discuss with one of your connections. This is why keeping up with the latest hot topics in your industry will allow you to start conversations with people who work and engage in the same industry as you.
15. Engage With Your Audience
If you’re putting out content to attract people to connect with you, you should also engage with those commenting and liking your content. Reaching out to them directly increases your chances of bonding with them. Buisness.com says engagement will increase your reach, build trust, and enhance your brand reputation.
16. Diversify Your Network
Connecting with similar people won’t get you as much exposure as you might need, considering you’re just starting. Meeting different people from different backgrounds and fields is vital since it will allow you to hear other perspectives and views and broaden your horizons for future growth in your career.
17. Evaluate and Optimize
Networking isn’t a linear process. It’s cyclic. You must continuously evaluate and optimize your network to maximize its benefits. As your network expands, monitor the results, keep track of the metrics, and know what’s going right and what your pain points are. This can help improve your networking strategy and support your growth.
18. Offer Value
According to The Muse, referrals are the source of 40% of hires. If you want to get a referral from someone in your network, your content strategy must reflect that you deserve that chance. Putting out mindless content won’t get you far, so make sure whatever you post on social media is intentional, well-researched, and tailored for your audience. You can also build a content calendar to make sure you’re consistent.
19. Practice Active Listening
When meeting someone, it’s imperative to listen to them carefully. If they feel like you’re not listening, it gives off the impression that you’re simply not interested. Zoning out of conversations is often a side effect of not being present at the moment, so try to make sure you hear every word someone says to connect with them on a deeper level.
20. Keep Track of Your Contacts
Once your network starts to expand, it’s pretty difficult to engage with everyone when you don’t even remember who they are in the first place. Make an Excel sheet of all your contacts so you can keep track of them and keep them engaged. This might seem like an arduous task, but if you’re just starting to build a network, it won’t take long, and you can continue to build on it as time progresses.
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