Evolution of Networking
We all know that networking is important to do, but for many it can be anxiety-provoking and overwhelmingly dreadful. Whether you’re looking to be promoted, transition to a new company, or perhaps change careers all together, the strong relationships you’ve created and power of your network could help you reach your goal. After all, the most successful people in the world had help along the way.
According to LinkedIn’s research, 70% of jobs are found through personal connections! Interestingly, 35% of LinkedIn users received job offers from casual conversations on the platform. Yet the irony remains, 49% of people claim they don’t maintain professional relationships because they just don’t have enough time. So, in a nutshell, networking is like drinking enough water. Everyone knows drinking at least 8 glasses a day would be highly beneficial to their health, but roughly half of the population make it a priority.
Do you remember when we’d physically go to networking events on our lunch hour or on the way home from work? We’d round the room making introductions and collecting a stack of business cards. That face to face contact was truly a luxury. Unfortunately, the days of attending networking events in person are fading. While they still exist of course, we’re learning ways to better leverage digital platforms and forums to build our network.
So where do you start?
5 Tips to Improve your Approach
1. Set your intentions. What are you trying to achieve?
Whether it’s a new position or simply growing your network, it’s important to set a realistic goal. Decide how many new connections you’d like to make in a week or month and how many former colleagues or classmates with whom you’d like to reconnect. Be clear in your messaging why you’re reaching out and what you’re looking to accomplish in making the connection.
2. Create a Connection Avatar.
The beauty of online networking is you have the ability to formulate a strategy and target. Create a connection avatar. What is your ideal connection’s position title? Where are they located? What school did they attend? Are they working in a specific industry? Create a persona of someone you believe you’ll have commonalities with or could potentially introduce you to someone in their organization or network.
Leverage LinkedIn to search your existing connections. Reconnect and search their connections so you’re now evaluating 2nd level connections. Ask someone to make an introduction for you.
3. Remember… you’re building relationships. You’re not selling yourself.
Just as you’d start any personal relationship, be yourself. With everything happening in the world today, make time for small talk, checking in on family, health and hobbies. Whatever your common interests, be genuine and empathetic, not just checking a box. Be sure to share your goal of making a job move or meeting other like-minded people so that person can keep you in mind as they speak with others in their network.
Ask how you can help. Even though you have a goal in mind, there is a great chance you could be of help to that person, so offer your assistance too.
4. Attend Virtual Events – Give it a shot!
There are an abundance of topic-focused webinar events happening for free these days. Start following companies or people to find out what they are attending or hosting. Sign up and be pro-active in preparing for the event so you get the most out of it. See who else is attending and reach out. You can review their profile in advance and even suggest meeting up over Zoom after the session to exchange takeaways and get to know one another. Some events have Q&A’s and breakout rooms after as well you can join with a small group of people in your industry or area of expertise.
5. Consistency is key.
Ah the follow up… who has the time? Our lives are busy. We’re always on the move! Maintaining relationships is effort but can be exceptionally rewarding. Create a follow up cadence for yourself. As soon as you’ve connected with the person, set a calendar reminder to follow up every month or two. Be diligent so you remain top of mind and not just a one time conversation. Share an article you read they may appreciate. Add value to the person’s day expecting nothing in return. Obviously, this is challenging to do with hundreds of people, so remember, quality over quantity.
While we may not be making as many strong first impressions these days with our firm handshake and eye contact, we now have the benefit of being far more targeted, which ultimately saves us time! We can do our research and aim for making lasting connections with similar backgrounds and interests. Quality over quantity for the win.
Shifting our mindset to ‘building relationships’ over ‘networking’ knowing we now have the ability to tailor our pursuit, hopefully calms the jitters and lends to more meaningful connections and outcomes.