“You must get out there and network.”
“Your network is your net worth.”
“The difference between the successful and unsuccessful people is the quality of their network.”
You will undoubtedly have heard (and been told) any or all of these statements or a variation of it.
When I started looking for my first job, I was given copious amounts of advice that centered on networking. And ultimately, it was through the network that I had built for myself that I found my first job. It was not an advertised position; in fact it was created for me, so if I had relied on sending massive numbers of CVs and applications out, I would never have found that job. So, I am not here to dispute this piece of advice, seeing how well it’s worked for me. However, I am here to challenge our conventional ideas around what constitutes networking.
When people urge you to go “out there and network”, they are usually referring to the traditional forms of networking, such as attending professional events like conferences, mixers, roundtables and other in-person gatherings. Depending on your schedule or personality-type, you may or may not feel comfortable attending these types of events. For me, I quickly realised that attending large conferences with over a 1,000 people, for example, overwhelmed and drained me. Even in some of the smaller events, I found that there could be a silent, but visible, focus on collecting as many business cards as possible and less on the quality of the interaction.
Thankfully, COVID forced us to explore other options. Due to health considerations, most events were moved online initially and when in-person events resumed, they were smaller gatherings. This can work for people who are introverted and get drained of their energy. It can take the pressure off the need to work the room and instead have deeper conversations with the people you meet.
So, I would like to suggest a two tips for upping your networking game in a low-stress and easy way:
– Have a plan to stay in touch: You don’t want to be one of those people who only gets in touch when they need something, do you? This means that you need to find a way to stay in touch with some regularity.
Now, we all know how this life can be, so there’s no point promising to keep in touch with everyone you know. Instead, identify those who you want to stay in touch with by phone calls or text messages; those who you can get away with by sharing thoughtful forwards on WhatsApp and those for whom an occasional hi on social media will suffice.
For the phone calls, decide on how many phone calls you can manage a week e.g. 2 professional “staying in touch calls” and you can either start from A in your contact list on your phone or make a list and decide on who you will call each week.
– Use technology: Easy answer, right? But you cannot overlook the power of digital tools to enable you connect with others and even stay in touch.
WhatsApp makes it so easy to stay in touch with others. Social media is a fantastic way to tell stories and build a personal brand. LinkedIn puts you 2 or 3 connections away from virtually anyone you want to meet.
Please don’t sleep on LinkedIn, because it’s really one of the most powerful and yet underrated tools out there. Thousands of job are gotten everyday on LinkedIn.
However, for many of us, our LinkedIn profile was last updated when we first created the account and we barely remember to go back there to add our new career achievements. The bios we have on there are as outdated as platform shoes and do a severe injustice to all the great things we have accomplished since then.
To that end, I am pleased to announce that I will be offering a LinkedIn Refresh service.
In my work, I have coached and supported women for career success over the last 14 years with special focus on leveraging digital tools. As a result, I routinely audit people’s online presence – notably their LinkedIn profiles.
With this service, I provide:
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Basic Plan: Non-Linked In Bio – A creatively-written biography of up to 250 words
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Standard Plan: LinkedIn Bio – A summary for the About section on LinkedIn that highlights your experience for your target audience (200 to 250 words)
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Premium Plan: LinkedIn Do-Over – A summary for the About section (200 to 250 words) and edit of your LinkedIn profile. Includes a 30-minute call, This does not include endorsements or recommendations.
You can get more details about the service and how to book it on the LinkedIn Refresh page.
I look forward to helping as many of you as are interested give your professional profile a new look. And please share with members of your own networks who you think might be interested.
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