Networking for career success is about how big and supportive your professional network is. Do you know enough people who might be able and willing to help you succeed or change if required?
Being able to connect on a personal basis building strong relationships with relevant people is still a core skill of successful professionals. After all, networking for career success is not about the number of connections on Linked in or Facebook, it’s about the quality and accessibility of your contacts!
One way of building your professional network is by attending organized networking events.
While thinking about networking for career success I identified 14 factors which have helped me to become a more proficient and effective networker. It all starts with
Preparation
1. Choose The Right Event
Be clear about your networking goals and concentrate on events that are likely to attract an audience which might be able to help you achieve what you’re looking for.
There are so many events out there, just search the internet and social media groups and try a number of the most promising out!
2. Be Adventurous
Don’t stick with only one or two regular events. It’s interesting to experience various ways of networking. Every event is different. Some are very structured and timed – like BNI, some have a theme of the month and speakers, some are simply a nice get together with food and drinks.
3. Prepare A Compelling Elevator Pitch
The most frequent question on networking events is the highly creative “What do you do? – question. So, you better make sure you have something crisp and memorable to say when this question strikes. It really helps to think about it very carefully. How would you like to be seen? What is your objective? Then write it down and practice!
4. Bring Enough Business Cards
You don’t want to run out of cards and start scribbling your email address on the back of a receipt – I know, it’s a no-brainer, but it happened to me several times!
At the Networking Event
5. Don’t just Hang Out With Your Buddies
I know it’s nice to meet familiar faces – but that’s not why you go there! You can always meet people you already know for a coffee or beer but try to focus on new contacts when you go to a networking event.
6. Be Curious And Ask Lots Of Questions
Try and get people talking – they like it and you easily find out if they are a good fit. The best way to do that is by asking open-ended questions which don’t allow them just answer with yes or no.
7. Talk To Many People
I know it can be difficult to leave an interesting discussion with an interesting person you just met, but try and make clear that you’d love to follow-up in the next couple of days and then move on to the next – maybe even more interesting – person.
8. Don’t Waste Your Time
On networking events it’s hard to avoid having at least one or two experiences with people you simply can’t connect with – but sometimes they fail to realize it themselves! If you don’t enjoy the discussion or the person, find a way to end the drama quickly! Preparing good excuses like having to go to the wash room or needing another round from the buffet might help.
And don’t waste time with people on a sales mission!
Sales people are everywhere and always on duty – especially on networking events. Develop techniques to nicely but clearly end these conversations and move on.
9. Avoid Drawing Business Cards
If you want to be taken seriously, have at least some kind of conversation before you exchange business cards. What’s the benefit of walking around collecting and drawing business cards all night? You want quality, not quantity! Numbers might make sense in a sales context, but to build a strong network of people who can really help you, you need to talk and more importantly listen to them first. Only give your business card if you feel there is a genuine mutual interest and benefit involved.
10. Listen And Seek To Help Others First
One of the most important success factors for any type of human network is trust. If you’re able to get people to trust you for who you are or what you can do, you’re in a very good position. One of the ways to create trust is to listen intently and think about how you might be able to add value. Then offer your help and see what happens.
11. Be Authentic
Be yourself, be confident and bold and not shy to clearly state your strengths and achievements. Everything else is likely to destroy trust and credibility.
The Day(s) After
12. Follow Up Quickly
Make sure you don’t kill the tender flame of a new professional relationship by not following up! In most cases I follow up through LinkedIn within 2 days after the event. I connect and send a short thank you message for confirming the contact request – sometimes with a suggestion for a next meeting. You can certainly also use other techniques, but please make sure you get in touch with the most valuable new contacts while the memories of your first meeting is still fresh.
13. Think About How You Could Add Value
It’s not necessary to keep in touch every week, but one thing that makes it easy for me to connect again every now and then is to think about how I might be able to support my network. Whenever I can, I pass referrals to my network and send interesting information like articles, blog posts etc. to contacts who might find them valuable. These small gestures pay off big time. People remember you and will be more willing to support you if you need them.
14. Enjoy!
Networking is a key factor for successful careers and businesses – full stop! If you don’t usually enjoy it, try and create a networking experience which is more in line with your personal preferences. For me, following a little structure and always keeping my intentions and goals in mind regularly help me getting my butt up and go for yet another event. Usually, once I’m there I enjoy the moment and meeting all those interesting people with interesting stories to tell.
Any more tips I might have missed? Let me know, how it goes!
Gunnar
Photo: Suewaters