How to Overcome Common Networking Challenges

“Networking is a lot like nutrition and fitness: we know what to do, the hard part is making it a top priority.” — Herminia Ibarra

Building and maintaining a robust professional network is an invaluable asset, but it’s not without its challenges. From navigating social anxiety to managing time constraints, there are a variety of obstacles that can hinder your networking efforts. It’s one of those activities that’s important to do but rarely so urgent that it must be done right away.

It’s an activity that also can feel out of your control, but that’s actually just a myth! In this newsletter, we’ll help you take back control so you’re not just waiting on other people in the networking process. We will explore strategies for identifying and overcoming common networking hurdles, empowering you to cultivate meaningful connections and advance your career.

Addressing Social Anxiety

“The mark of a good conversationalist is not that you can talk a lot. The mark is that you can get others to talk a lot. Thus, good schmoozers are good listeners, not good talkers.” — Guy Kawasaki

For many professionals, the prospect of networking can be daunting, triggering feelings of social anxiety or discomfort. Whether it’s initiating conversations with strangers or attending large networking events, these situations can be particularly draining.

Here are a few suggestions for reducing some of the fears associated with networking:

1. Reframe Your Perspective: Remember to think of networking as building relationships rather than “selling yourself.” Having some fear and anxiety about networking is extremely common. You’re not alone. If you can focus on staying curious and connecting with others, however, you won’t be quite as focused on the discomfort you feel.
2. Expand Your Toolbox: It can be helpful to be prepared to start conversations so you don’t go blank. Practicing an elevator pitch and having a repertoire of questions and conversation starters that you feel comfortable using can go a long way.
3. Start With Familiar Faces: Begin by deepening connections with colleagues or acquaintances before branching out to new contacts. You might also enjoy making sure you attend events with someone you already know to reduce some of the fear of being alone.
4. Set Small, Achievable Goals: For example, aim to have one meaningful conversation at an event rather than trying to meet and connect deeply with everyone.
5. Practice Self-Care: Engage in relaxation techniques before networking events to calm your nerves. One good method is called box breathing, where you breathe in, hold, breathe out, and hold for four seconds each for a total 16 second breath. It slows things down and gets you present and relaxed ahead of a potentially stressful experience.

Find the tools and techniques that are most helpful to you. It’s okay to acknowledge fears and anxiety you have, but don’t lean on that as an excuse not to do any networking at all. It’s another opportunity for you to learn, grow, and improve!

Managing Time Constraints

In today’s fast-paced professional landscape, finding the time to nurture a robust network can be challenging. Between work responsibilities, family commitments, community involvement, and personal obligations, your schedule may feel perpetually full already.

To make the most of your limited time, adopt a strategic approach to networking. Prioritize the events, groups, or connections that align most closely with your career goals and networking needs. Be selective in the invitations you accept, and politely decline those that don’t serve your objectives.

Find ways to leverage technology to streamline your networking efforts. Utilize online platforms like LinkedIn to stay connected with your network, share updates, and engage with relevant industry discussions. Schedule regular check-ins or virtual meetings to maintain relationships without the need for in-person gatherings.

When possible, combine networking with other activities. Networking doesn’t always have to be a “separate” activity. You can look for opportunities to network in time that you’re already spending. For example, as you attend a meeting, you might be there with someone new in your company that you haven’t met before. Spend a few minutes before or after the meeting to get to know them and strike up a new relationship. Or, if you are attending a community event, instead of just being a passive attendee, look for one new person you can meet and get to know.

And if you are here and feel like you really have ZERO time for networking, you may need to return to the beginning of the book and shift your mindset. This is a way to invest in yourself - can you afford NOT to network? If you’re somehow finding time to read this, you probably have at least some time to network.

Overcoming Rejection or Indifference

Networking inevitably involves encountering rejection or indifference from potential contacts. Whether it’s a lack of response to your outreach or a polite decline to connect, these experiences can be disheartening.

I remember when I was working with an experienced engineer who found himself out of a job. He felt like he was reaching out to people left and right while applying to jobs, but wasn’t getting much if any response. This was leaving him feeling depressed after a while. Then when he shifted some of his mindset around the process, and sought to have more of a “give-first” mentality while also accepting the reality of occasional rejection, things changed for him. He ended up connecting with multiple great companies and getting three job offers!

So please remind yourself that rejection is a normal part of the networking process and is rarely a reflection of your worth as a professional. Shift your mindset to view each interaction as a learning opportunity, rather than a personal failure.

If you receive no response to an outreach attempt, resist the urge to take it personally. Follow up once more, and then move on to other contacts. You can’t know the real reason why people don’t respond, so don’t make assumptions. Feel free to follow up, but don’t pester them relentlessly. Sometimes they are just busy and don’t respond the first time! Along the way, maintain a positive, persistent attitude, and don’t let a few setbacks derail your broader networking efforts.

In the case of a direct rejection, graciously accept the decision and express your appreciation for their time. Inquire if there’s an alternative way you could connect, such as joining a shared industry group or following their professional activities on social media.

When you experience rejection or indifference like this, it’s a great time to have a Growth Mindset. If something you’re doing isn’t working, learn from it and consider ways you can improve your approach to building meaningful relationships. You can control what you do, not what others do, so stay empowered and seek to change what you can change!

Conclusion

Navigating the challenges of professional networking requires a combination of self-awareness, strategic planning, and resilience. By addressing social anxiety, managing time constraints, upholding networking etiquette, and overcoming rejection or indifference, you’ll position yourself to build a thriving, sustainable network that supports your long-term career goals. Embrace these obstacles as opportunities for growth, and watch as your networking prowess continues to expand.

Take Intentional Action

Take out a journal and write down all the reasons you avoid networking. It can be about fear/anxiety, identifying as an introvert, not knowing what to say, not having time, or any number of reasons. Get them all out!

Then, make a list of all the positive reasons for networking. What are the potential benefits? What things could you learn? How could it grow your career? How could you grow as a person? What experiences could you have? Get creative and have some fun with this!

Look at your lists. Which one gets you more excited? Probably the list with reasons to network. That’s because positivity builds energy and negativity drains it!

You can also take the list of reasons you avoid networking and consider actions you can take or things you can do to mitigate those fears. This gets you empowered to do something instead of just feeling like those negative things are going to happen to you.

Accelerate Your Progress

This newsletter is an adapted excerpt from my newly released book, The Intentional Career Guide to Professional Networking.

So grab a copy of it, and if you are interested in being an early reader and becoming part of the “Book Army” to help launch it as well as the rest of the Intentional Career Guide series, sign up at https://www.intentionalcareerguide.com/bookarmy.

You can also find more related resources, courses, and more of The Intentional Career Guide at www.intentionalcareerguide.com.

And if you don’t yet have a copy of The Intentional Engineer, you’ll want to do that as well!