What's your best tool for networking?

Online networking only works if you have already established a sincere relationship. It is hard to network when AI can be used to impersonate and create a credible resume

As far as online networking is concerned, I believe and it's my personal experience that one should have a good profile on LinkedIn. Mention your areas of interest and expertise. LinkedIn is giving you a free feature i.e. Creator Mode where you can put 5 hashtags based on your interests so that people with common interests, can join your network and it will help to grow your network.

I fundamentally believe that the best tool anyone has for networking is their primary network. What I mean by that is your friends, family members, colleagues, college classmates etc. This is because you can get an automatic stamp of approval from the referrer, making the new relationship you are trying to build much easier. For this to be successful you need to have information on what your primary network does, who they might be associated with, and how you can be mutually beneficial to the potential network that you are trying to build.

Nothing beats personal F2F contacts, but depends a bit on what target of the networking is. do you want to get acknowledged for something or searching for a new job/assignment, then probably no better place than LinkedIn exist, but for "real" networking, nothing will beat F2F contacts. For pure technical things, I could recommend events like Cisco Live, Network-X, MWC, or other sessions on divers topics. but it takes time, it is not about just attending, it is about attending multiple events, maybe get on stage for some session of your company and so on. And it will take time of course, people tend to be impatient these days expecting for things to happen overnight, will not be the case on this one.

LinkedIn is a great tool for supporting your networking efforts both online and offline. It keeps you in front of those that you network with in between meetings and for many the first thing we do when networking is connect on LinkedIn.

The most underrated networking tool is the contacts app on your phone. David Rockefeller had an extensive rolodex of over 100,000 detailed contact cards before the phone became a thing. Today, our phones can store all that information and more. Beyond just names and numbers, you can add affiliations, mutual friends, and key details in the notes section to keep track of key events or information. Moreover, you can create your own rich contact card containing the information your network needs and easily share it with them. People jump to CRMs like hubspot when the best CRM is something you already have in your pocket.

In the digital age, effective networking relies on a combination of the right tools and the right approach. By being clear about your objectives, selective in your connections, and respectful in your interactions, you can leverage networking tools to create valuable professional relationships and advance your career.

Good communication skills with the people who work in the same industry. Different communities are also useful for increasing Networking.

I′d say that networking is an ongoing process, and results may not always be immediate. Regularly reviewing your goals and metrics, making necessary adjustments, and staying persistent will help you refine your networking strategy and continue to grow and benefit from your professional network.

Networking is an ongoing process, and results may not always be immediately apparent. Building and nurturing relationships takes time. Regularly assessing your networking efforts will help you refine your approach and make the most of your professional connections.

My Networking Hack: Conferences, Seminars, and other such events almost always have a Q&A session at the end. Notice when it does open up people tend to be shy to be first and there is a pause of 30 secs before someone has the courage to raise their hand to ask and 90% of the time they get selected. It's only after the first question does the flood come and often the time runs out. It's those 30 secs when 500 people pause you need to capitalize. I come prepped by studying speakers/topics and have my question ready - so my hand is always up the moment they call Q&A. I get a brief intro in 15 secs and then ask a captivating question that not only grabs speakers' attention but the crowd's - walk away w/ a dozen business cards in the end.

Networking is a dynamic and evolving process, and your approach may change over time as you gain experience and confidence. Remember that every connection you make has the potential to impact your career and personal growth positively. Stay open, curious, and proactive in your networking efforts, and you'll continue to reap the benefits of a robust professional network.

When looking for a job, make your resume with Microsoft Word and make it interactive. By interactive I mean make key places like colleges, work places, skills, talents, etc. as a link where the reader can click and be sent to the web site for the business, school, skill description, person, etc.. In this way you are not only clarifying your credentials but advertising your contacts so the reader can get a more in-depth idea of what you do, have done, and who you know.