Networking Strategies for Technologists: Professional Relationship-Building in the Tech World
Whether you dread or enjoy it, networking is essential to your career as a tech professional. But not all technologists leverage it. With the right strategies, you can tap into this engine for career advancement and relationship building.
Tech events and conferences provide direct access to tech professionals you can connect with. Use social media if you aren’t keen to put yourself out there that way. Twitter and LinkedIn are great for engaging with other technologists. Or join online tech communities like Billet, Ingressive for Good, Sisters in Design & Technology, or Google Developers Group.
This post is a complete guide to building professional relationships with other technologists. First, let’s dive into the importance of networking as a tech professional.
The Value of Networking in the Tech Industry
Building a solid personal brand and network can differentiate you in the tech industry. Consider it your key to career development, personal growth, and long-term success.
Besides giving you a leg up in your career, networking results in the following:
Understanding how networking can influence your career is one thing. But knowing how to do it is another.
This leads us to the next part.
Networking Strategies for Technologists
Some of the best strategies to build your network as a tech professional include the following:
Let’s take a closer look at each of these next.
1. Attend Tech Events and Conferences
Do you ever wonder how other technologists know so many people? Well, it might have to do with attending tech events and conferences.
Joining tech events and conferences can help you meet other professionals in your field. You might connect with your next employer or client. Or you could make a friend for life who’ll laugh at all your funny coding TikTok videos.
Such gatherings are also ideal for learning about new technologies and trends.
Now, in-person tech events and conferences can be intimidating for some. But fear not.
Consider it an opportunity to meet other technologists with similar interests and passions.
To ease any anxiety surrounding this networking strategy for technologists, consider setting clear goals and objectives.
For instance, you might aim to speak with five people and then call it a day. No goal is too small or outrageous. So choose what you’re most comfortable with.
Besides speaking directly to people, you should participate in panel discussions or presentations. If you have a nagging question to ask a speaker, don’t hesitate.
2. Leverage Social Media
Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter make building a network easier for tech professionals. By sharing your expertise in your field, you can attract like-minded technologists.
Plus, 77% of recruiters regularly use LinkedIn. So, the chances of landing your dream tech job can skyrocket just by having an online presence.
To further expand your reach on social media, join groups.
Facebook and LinkedIn are littered with those. While Twitter offers other means to easily discover other tech professionals, such as Twitter Spaces.
This networking strategy for technologists doesn’t end with joining social media platforms. It’s also essential to engage with others by:
And if someone comments on your post or messages you, don’t ghost them. Reply and engage with them to keep the conversation flowing.
3. Join Online Tech Communities
Tech communities offer valuable career advancement opportunities, growth, learning resources, and mentorship. So joining some is a networking strategy for technologists that can pay off.
Whether you’re a software engineer or IT professional, tech communities can help you grow and advance in your field.
Below are some African tech communities worth checking out.
Billet
Billet is your go-to for gaining practical experience to land your dream job. Through their job simulations, you can take on real-world projects vetted by industry experts to level up your expertise in various tech roles including:
They aim to equip African technologists with the necessary skills to make Africa the world leader in innovation and technology. And they also have a growing community of technologists in various tech fields, from data science to UX design.
Ingressive for Good
Ingressive for Good empowers and equips African youths with tech skills to boost their earning potential. Through the I4G circles, they foster community across Africa.
The Ingressive for Good community gives you access to the following:
You can also meet and find like-minded technologists. And Ingressive for Good often shares helpful resources to help the tech professionals in their community.
Meta Developer Circle
Meta’s developer circle is the ideal community to discover and connect with other developers nearby.
This free and open community offers the following:
Each developer circle is unique in its focus topics. But most themes range from Meta products to open-source technologies.
The best part of this community is its flexibility. If you can’t find a developer circle nearby, you can create your own.
Open Source Community Africa (OSCA)
African open-source enthusiasts and experts lead and support this community.
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OSCA aims to increase the rate of valuable contributions by African developers, designers, and technologists to open-source projects within Africa and worldwide.
They have chapters across Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia. And over 3,000 community members.
Basecamp Business Incubator
While Basecamp is geared toward entrepreneurs, they offer technology boot camps. These entail short, intense courses covering topics such as:
Besides helping participants develop those skills, their technology boot camps enable tech professionals to improve their expertise.
And they offer the chance to engage and interact with other technologists.
Sisters in Design & Technology
This woman-centric tech community is relatively new, but it has a promising mission:
‘. . . to empower female high school and university students by equipping them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to enter careers in design and technology.’
The SIDT WhatsApp community offers female students a secure and collaborative environment to share ideas and discover opportunities. They have over 100 members.
Google Developer Groups
For developers interested in Google technologies, this community is for you.
You can find Google Developer Groups nearby and participate in meet-ups and events. These are ideal for knowledge sharing and connection with your local developer community.
Webflow
Webflow is a platform that allows anyone to build unique and responsive websites without writing code.
If you’re a no-code developer living in or visiting South Africa, join this community. It’s also an excellent opportunity for seasoned web developers to learn about no-code web development.
Besides connecting with other developers, you can ask questions and get feedback on your projects. Updates on your personal journey are also welcome.
If you’re based outside South Africa, you can find a Webflow meet-up near you.
4. Collaborate on Open-Source Projects
Open-source projects are projects whose source code is available to the public. So anyone can contribute, study, modify, or use them.
These projects are significant to the tech industry because they:
1.????? Encourage collaboration: Technologists can work together on a shared project since anyone can access the source code.
2.????? Lower costs: Open source projects are often cheaper than proprietary software. This is because a community develops the tech instead of an individual or company.
3.????? Provide opportunities for skill development: Software developers can develop new skills and knowledge by contributing to open-source projects.
4.????? Foster a sense of community: Open-source projects are decentralized and collaborative. They rely on peer review and community production.
5.????? Improve personal branding: By contributing to open-source projects, you can boost your brand and establish yourself as an expert. This could attract potential clients or employers.
Platforms like Apache, Linux Foundation, and Github offer access to open-source projects.
So software programmers who work in different industries can leverage open-source projects for networking while contributing to a common cause.
Apart from connecting with other contributors, you may also meet project users. This can lead to new relationships and opportunities.
5. Seek out Mentors
Another networking strategy for technologies is seeking out mentors and mentees. Mentorship is vital in all industries, especially in tech.
With a mentor, you can learn which path to take based on your interests, skill set, strengths, and weaknesses.
They can also keep you accountable. It’s easy to say you want to do great things in your career, but they may never happen if you don’t keep yourself in check.
Your mentor can also offer feedback on your progress. This can help you identify areas to improve. And boost your confidence in your abilities.
Pro tip: While you’re a student, work with a professional who’ll help you understand a role or industry based on their experience. They loop you about the realities of real-world work.
MentorCruise is the ideal platform to find a mentor. They have a rich network of tech professionals who work at big tech companies like Uber, Google, Netflix, and Airbnb.?
You can also look within your company for a mentor. Perhaps you admire a senior employee’s career progression.
Asking your manager for possible mentors might also be helpful. Or networking outside of the office could be your best bet.
Attending industry events such as meet-ups and conferences can also introduce you to potential mentors.
Remember to be professional with your mentorship request. Also, be clear on what you want from a mentor.
Is it to help you land your dream job? Or do you need someone who can help you refine your goals?
And have a couple of options of mentors from different industries and backgrounds to diversify your choices.
6. Consistently Reengage Your Professional Connections
So you have LinkedIn connections with several tech professionals from Github. Or you have the contact details of a technologist at a prominent tech company in your area.
But what then?
While gathering contacts and connections is essential, sitting on them won’t do anything for your career.
So you must consistently reengage with your professional connections. Here are some practical ways to do that:
Building solid relationships with other tech professionals starts with networking. But to benefit from those relationships, you must maintain them.