The Importance of Relational Networking

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For many of us, the careers we ultimately pursue are very different from those we originally imagined.?And that certainly is the case for entrepreneur Ronit Avni , who is the CEO and founder of Localized, a social enterprise and career technology platform designed to help create matches between companies looking to hire in emerging markets, talented students in these regions without easy access to career services, and experienced professionals originally from these regions, but living around the world who can give back to students in a mentoring role.?The following is an excerpt from an interview I did with Ronit about Localized and her own career trajectory as an entrepreneur.

Andy Molinsky:?It sounds like networking is a big part of how Localized works and also about you’ve charted your own career journey. Can you just say a word about your philosophy of networking?

Ronit Avni:?To me, the most important principle around networking is that it’s relational, not transactional. You’re establishing relationships with people. You're trying to learn. You're trying to be generous where you can. You're trying to be polite and respectful of people's time.

Molinsky:?So, if I’m a student or young professional interesting in learning to network, can you give me some tips?

Avni:?Number one, have a clear ask. Number two, do your homework. Look them up on LinkedIn. Dig in a little bit. Take some notes. And you want to go in with a clear ask. It can be something as simple as: "I don't know what algorithmic trading is, but I'd love to learn." Or: "If I were to apply for a job at a company like yours, what three skills do you think I would need?” And then, there's the follow up, which is also critical.

Molinsky:?What makes for a high performing young professional in your view??

Avni:?High performers ask a lot of questions and do a lot of listening. They take notes. They follow through. And after getting the hang of things and operating with humility, they start to notice areas that could use improvement and proactively dive in.

Molinsky:?Do you mean actually start to suggest things to change?

Avni:?Yes, the best performers are ones that don't just wait to be told. They jump in, offer to add value, and actually demonstrate how they can add value. And the more they do that and do it well, the more peers trust them, rely on them, and turn to them. In fact, I've seen people craft an entirely new role on the basis of doing just that.