Networking Guide for Executives: Overcoming Challenges and Avoiding Mistakes

Networking takes many forms today, with opportunities to connect available online and offline. With the click of a mouse and the stroke of a few keys, an executive can introduce himself or herself to a fellow executive halfway across the globe.

 But with new opportunity comes new challenges and new opportunities to make mistakes. And challenges still exist in “traditional” networking—the trade shows, the Chamber of Commerce breakfasts, the conferences…

 So how do you network for an executive job search?

To help you succeed in networking, let’s dive in to some of the problems executives face when networking and the common mistakes executives make when networking, and how to solve both. For this article, I spoke with Gina Riley of Talence Group to get her professional insight into networking issues faced by executives. I think you’ll find her advice enlightening and helpful in achieving your networking and executive career goals.

Think You Don’t Need to Network? Here’s Why Executives Need to Network

One of the biggest mistakes executives make when networking is simply not doing it. Sure, you might attend trade shows here and there or have to connect with people in your industry to get your work done, but you might not be actively and purposefully networking. You might think by the time you’ve reached the executive level that you are so well established within your industry or professional circles that you don’t need to actively, purposefully network anymore. Gina Riley explains why this is a mistake: “The simple fact is, people hire who they know, like, and trust; therefore, building strong relationships through networking is a strategic advanced strategy to truly being desired and landing a hot opportunity faster.”

Sure, networking is one of the most important job search strategies, but it shouldn't be limited to just part of your job search. How do you avoid making this mistake? Easy—get out there and get networking. Instead of just doing your due diligence at conferences to get the information you need to do your current job, make a concerted effort to get to know people and to have conversations that could be helpful for you should you need a new job in the future and be actively job searching.

 How Networking Can Help Executives in Their Job Search

Another mistake executives—and many professionals at all levels—make is assuming that networking is only for people who are out of work and need to find a job now. This assumption is a big mistake, and making it can really hurt your ability to advance your career.

As an executive, your networking skills are crucial to your day-to-day success at your current job, but they are also crucial for giving you future opportunities. If you’re not networking when you already have a job (even if it is a job you like!), you may not be privy to information about opportunities that could be your chance to advance your career. Many executive-level job openings won’t be posted on job boards, so getting to know people throughout your industry might be the best source of information you have for open jobs, or learning about a company’s needs. If people know about you, your connections with clients, and your skill set, they can keep you in mind for when such opportunities arise.

“Executives need to immerse themselves in the hidden job market, where 97% of the desirable executive-level jobs are found. They need to position themselves where the conversations are just starting!” explains Gina.

 Open positions are everywhere—they just might not be on the job boards.

So take her advice and follow the ABCs: Always Be Connecting.

The Networking Skills Executives Need

Now you know not to avoid networking. There are mistakes you need to avoid while networking, too. Bringing solid networking skills to the table is important, and establishes you as the kind of person people want to know and want to hire.

#1 Networking Mistake to Avoid and Skill to Apply

The first mistake that many professionals make when networking is talking about themselves too much. As Gina points out, “True networking is a two-way street and if people are not listening 50-80% of the time, then they are doing it wrong.”

Instead, put your listening skills to use. Ensuring that you’re listening to others, and having actual conversations that help you connect with other professionals can help you avoid the feeling that, as Gina puts it, “networking is a slimy activity where one is seeking a hand-out.”

When you make networking about making connections, it’s not about you and what you need—it’s about building relationships and gaining knowledge. By approaching networking this way, you will avoid making the all-too-common mistake of coming across as needy and self-centered.

Another way to ensure that you aren’t just making networking about what you need is to follow the advice mentioned above and start networking before you need to. If you’re not networking because you need a job, it’s a lot easier to be genuinely interested in getting to know other people—making real connections beyond just what their immediate use to you is at the moment.

#2 Networking Mistake to Avoid and Skill to Apply

To network successfully, you do need to talk about yourself to some degree. After all, if people don’t know what you do and why you’re at certain events, you’re not going to get many calls about jobs or opportunities to connect further. However, don’t make the mistake of regurgitating your entire resume, point for point, going back to your first college internship.

Instead, Gina recommends learning the skill of succinctly articulating your career story. See that word she uses—story. Make your career history a story; give it a plot with challenges you’ve had to overcome and the things you’ve learned along the way. Don’t make it too long, and don’t make it stale and boring. As eager as you may be to tell a promising connection everything about your career and why you’d be a great fit at their company, they probably don’t want to stand there for a 20-minute monologue complete with names and dates from every job you’ve held. As an executive, your resume is probably pretty lengthy—but that means it also has plenty of interesting points. Pull out those interesting points and impressive achievements, or even funny stories about challenges and failures that you can put a positive spin on and craft a career story for use at networking events, or to use as a conversation starter when you’re meeting someone for coffee. I recommend keeping your story to 45 seconds to start with.

Not only will a compelling career story make you stand out among other job seekers because you are talking about impressive achievements, but you’ll stand out for your effective communication skills—a key trait of any successful executive. And, as Gina points out, having your executive resume distilled into a compelling career story is a great way to be ready to step into an interview and impress a recruiter or hiring manager.

#3 Networking Mistake to Avoid and Skill to Apply

Limiting your networking efforts is a big mistake. Whether you’re limiting them to offline events like monthly chamber breakfasts, limiting them to online efforts like LinkedIn messages, limiting them to one specific industry, or limiting them to one geographic area, you’re making the mistake of limiting yourself.

You need to develop and apply the skill of networking widely, but networking smartly. Obviously, you can’t go to every event and email every person in your industry, but you can widen your reach by being strategic.

First, if you’ve been avoiding LinkedIn, get signed up now. In my conversation with Gina, she noted that this resource was not available to Baby Boomers or Gen Xers when their careers were starting out, and executives of those generations may still be leery of building an online presence related to their professional life. However, Gina advises, and I completely agree with her, that learning how to effectively use platforms like LinkedIn is a necessary skill for networking successfully in today’s world. If you’re just getting started on LinkedIn, here are my six tips for building an engaging profile on the platform.

Conversely, Millennials may be most likely to only want to network online. You can’t do this, either. You need to network offline, and at events where you will be exposed to older people in your industry. In other words, learn how to network at a breakfast event, not just at a craft beer happy hour.

You need to be able to step out, step beyond your online or offline comfort zone and talk to people inside and outside of your industry. Everybody knows somebody who knows somebody—you never know whom you might meet and whom they might know at an event that seemingly has nothing to do with your career goals.

And this topic brings us to a major challenge faced by executives not just in networking, but probably throughout all aspects of your life—time.

Building a Professional Network with Limited Time

I can hear it now: “But I don’t have time to start attending networking events!”

You probably don’t have time to add a full slate of conferences, trade shows, happy hours, etc. to your calendar—but what you do have is the ability to start approaching all events as a networking opportunity. I don’t mean start bringing a folder with your resume to your family reunion or church supper. I do mean making the most of opportunities to make connections—because you never know whom they know.

Do you have kids? Do they play sports, or go to birthday parties? When you go to these events with them, do you always talk to the same three or four parents that you’ve known forever?

Stop it! Start talking to strangers. For many people, this does not sound like fun, and it sounds hard—but it’s really not. Stick out your hand, say “Hi, I’m John, nice to meet you, whose parent are you?” From there, keep them talking about themselves and inevitably it’ll get around to “work talk,” and what their job is, what your job is, eventually maybe if either of you is looking for opportunities, or if there are job openings. Just make sure the conversation flows to these latter points naturally—otherwise you are obnoxiously job search networking and not just making a social connection.

Have you been looking for a way to get more exercise? Turn this into a networking opportunity—talk to people at your gym, join a local adult softball league or bowling league. Every single person there is a potential connection with their own network.

These are more casual approaches to networking, but you can also do “actual” networking smartly and strategically with limited time. Start by talking to a trusted friend or mentor about the organizations and events they attend, then ask if you can attend with them. They probably have a good idea of who there might be most worth it for you to talk to. In this way, even if you only attend two events a month you are making the most of the few hours you spend there. And having that compelling 45-second story ready will help you make an impression even if you’re not at every single event like others may be able to do.

You should also make a list of organizations, clubs, and stand-alone events in your area that you think are worth going to or becoming involved in. Just having it written down will help you prioritize.

If you’ve been staying chained to your desk at your current job and not taking advantage of professional development opportunities, you’re definitely missing out on time-savvy networking opportunities. Don’t take advantage of your current employer, of course, but if there is a trade show, conference, or even half-day seminar that relates to your job and looks interesting or promising to you, consider attending if that is something your current company encourages. In this situation it would be inappropriate to attend and openly ask about job opportunities—and doing so would make you look bad to potential employers and connections—but you can establish connections and make contacts through these kinds of events, whether they are close to home or require travel.

And, lastly, as I advise in this article—you can create your own networking group. Doing so means you’d have control over the schedule, decide how much of the conversation would be online v. offline, and when and what activities or meet-ups would be. Plus, it shows leadership! And when it comes time to apply for a position, or give examples of your leadership, you can talk about this networking group and also demonstrate that you have strong connections that can be helpful to a company.

Networking can be tough, and it can be time-consuming, but even as an executive you simply have to do it if you want to find the best career opportunities. Remember, they aren't all listed on job sites or even on company websites.

Thanks to Gina for her input for this article. To find out more about her and Talence Group, head to their website.