My Achy Breaky Heart

"You dance like a penguin."

That's what my ballroom dance instructor said to me as I was trying to learn a basic box step.

It was the height of the "Dancing with the Stars craze," and my coworker and I decided to take a ballroom dance class after work.

We had visions of having fun and being able to dance, but instead it was awkward as hell.

First, the instructor made us girls stand in a line against the wall, and then the guys had to come over and ask us to dance.

Then came my instructor's critique ??, which was obviously embarrassing in the moment. She was trying to get me to loosen up, but her words also made me feel like I wasn't good enough to be there... and I never went back to her class.

The level of awkwardness and discomfort that I experienced from this dance class is a lot like how people feel at networking events.

As you may know from my previous content, networking is a crucial strategy to getting hired in this crazy job market.

So, today I want to give you 3 important lessons I learned that night that can help you become a better networker...

1. Do something outside of your comfort zone. There's so many different ways you can make new connections that will probably be uncomfortable. Make a commitment to go to a networking event next week. You just might meet the person that'll change your life.
2. There's strength in numbers. If you're extra nervous about going to an event where you don't know anyone, take a friend with you! Just make sure that you talk to other people during the event.
3. Your words matter. When you're meeting strangers, your words will make a first impression that will cause them to either build a relationship or move onto the next person at the event.

If networking makes you nervous and you're not quite sure what to say, how to meet people and how to get them to help you, then you'll want to catch my on-demand workshop: Advance Your Career with Networking.

Because you subscribe to Your Next Move, I'm giving you 50% off.

Happy networking!