10 Life-Changing Networking Tips For People Who Have No Idea Where To Start

When you learn to network, it doesn’t just improve your career, it improves your life. As an introvert with severely limiting learning disabilities, I struggled to form connections in my youth. Society was so focused on teaching me how to learn their way, they forgot to teach me how to make friends. And I know I’m not alone! In this article, I’m going to teach you the top 10 life-changing networking tips I’ve learned along the way.

What is the Best Way to Network?

Most people make the mistake of forcing themselves to do something unnatural, but the truth is, networking doesn’t have to be painful. The best way to network is by sticking to your strengths.

How Can I Be Good at Networking?

The fatal mistake people make when it comes to networking is failing to realize it should be prioritized as one of their top goals. Like all goals, you need a plan to achieve your desired outcome which brings me to tip #1

Tip #1: Make a List

Start your list with people who know, like, and love you. From there, add people you want to strengthen your relationship with, this could be colleagues, community acquaintances, or someone cool like me ??

Tip #2: Create an Action Plan

Build upon that list with specific ways you can connect, engage, and support these people. In the professional world, this may be engaging with their LinkedIn content and or noting things you are curious about. In the personal world, this may be adding birthday reminders to your calendar or even checking out their connections for ideas on whom to connect with next, good people know good people after all.

Tip #3: Diversify Your Network

Human beings are social creatures. We thrive by helping each other grow. Nearly everything we accomplish is a direct result of the people we spend time with. This is why building relationships is such an important skill. Every person you meet is a wealth of knowledge, but if you limit your network to people who only look like you, who was raised like you, and think like you, you’re missing out on a way to make your life richer. The low-hanging fruit in networking is starting off with people you already know, but eventually, you must leave your inner circle.

One way to do this is to pick a tangential niche. As a resume writer, I am a member of 3 professional associations, but as an entrepreneur, I can diversify my network by joining a group for entrepreneurs of all industries.

Tip #4: Meet People Through Other People

The best and easiest way to meet people is through people who already know, like, and trust you. Being introduced by them or joining their conversations will very likely garner a warm welcome.

Tip #5: Leverage Social Media

Social media is an effective way to get to know important contacts better and without the pressure of a face-to-face meeting. Try commenting on people's posts, responding to a comment they made on a post, and following them before diving into a new connection's DMs or sending a connection request.

Tip #6: Prepare for Your Interaction

Piggybacking on tip #2 and tip #5, research the people you are interested in getting to know first. Finding commonality and knowing details of the person ahead of time can ensure you are strategic and thoughtful with your conversation.

Reaching out to Alumni, people within a similar industry, people with the same job title as you, someone who successfully transitioned their career in a similar way you are hoping to, I could go on for days, but hopefully, you get the point.

But don’t just stop at learning about the other person, you have to know yourself too! Take the time to think about how you want to introduce yourself, what life and career stories you think will make a good impression, and have if you’re privileged enough to have an optimal setup, invest in quality lighting, speakers, camera, etc. to minimize technical issues during virtual video interactions.

Tip #7: Be Clear On Why You Want To Build A Meaningful Connection

Networking is not asking everyone you know and don’t know for a job, in fact, when you network you should never ask someone for a job. If you are currently networking for employment, you should ask people for information that will assist you in your job search. Your main networking goal should be to establish rapport and build a relationship. If and when a potential opportunity may arise in the future, you already have done the work to be considered for that girl’s trip or employment opportunity.

You should never ask someone,

"Can you get me a job."

Tip #8: Don’t Take Up Too Much Time

Before you go to a virtual coffee or work your way into a conversation at a live networking event, have an agenda. By planning your meeting ahead of time, you establish your professionalism, gain credibility, and cover all the critical topics you wanted to cover. This often requires you to ask a question and then listen while the other person speaks. Here are some questions you could ask:

Event Where Little Prep May Be Possible:

• What energizes you?
• What excites you about the industry you’re in?
• If someone could help you with one of your major goals right now, how could they?

Event Where Prep Is Possible:

• What made you transition from Y industry to X industry?
• What is the best career advice you’ve been given?
• Based on what you learned about me, what 3 people do you think I should talk to next?

Help Yourself by Helping Your Network

“Can I help you?” Asking this question is one of the most effective ways to build long-lasting connections. Once you help someone, you instantly become more likable because you’ve proved you will show up. Just like showing your appreciation, offering to help is a strategy that will earn you a positive reputation which brings me to tip #9.

Tip #9: Always Remember To Say Thank You

In sales, the money is in the follow-up. The same thing goes for building relationships. After you’ve had a networking interaction, always follow up with a thank you. This can be a simple LinkedIn message that says “Hey Teegan, thank you again for your time last week. I spoke with Francisco over at Fast and Trevor at Google and you were right, they were both incredibly helpful! I referred you to Sasha who would be perfect for your coaching program, I already told her about the amazing results I've received from just one call."

Tip #10: Have A Great Digital Impression

Research tells us most people gather first impression thoughts within 7 seconds of your interaction, oddly enough that’s about the time it takes a recruiter to scan a resume, but I digress, studies have found that our first impressions of people are 76% accurate, which means a human being’s gut instincts are pretty good.

Let’s face it, nowadays, most of our networking is happening on LinkedIn and then a video call vs in person, so having a strong LinkedIn profile is more important now than ever. Here are key areas in which you want to focus on: profile photo, banner photo, headline, about section, featured section, experience section, education/certifications, and recommendations – be that person who has given 10+ thoughtful recommendations because it speaks volumes to who you are and what you appreciate.

Final Thoughts

Networking is another way to say building relationships or making introductions. With the above tips, gone are the days when you have to feel sleazy, needy, or desperate about reaching out to someone. If you are a current job seeker and just beginning to build connections start with people you know, reconnect with people you lost touch with, leverage commonalities, and whatever you do, don't ask someone if they can get you a job.

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???? MEET THE AUTHOR:

Teegan Bartos is a Career Coach specializing in #JobSearchStrategy, #SalaryNegotiation, #ResumeWriting, and #LinkedInOptimization. For daily job search tips follow Teegan?here .