The power of networking and mentoring to create value and expand opportunities

Networking and mentoring are perhaps two of the most interesting, low-cost, effective and fastest ways to create and expand our professional opportunities. Both mechanisms are essential to help us advance in our careers, and the return on investment (where investment usually means time) is very high. They add huge value to all the participants. And creating value is ultimately what we need to look for in our professional relationships.

According to a report from ABC News, 80% of today’s jobs are landed through networking. Also, some data and research show that around 50 – 70% of sales come from referrals. These are two easy-to-understand indicators about the value of networking and its potential to create and expand our opportunities. Regarding mentoring, 71% of 500 Fortune Companies offered mentoring programs. In these companies, mentoring is critical for career and leadership development, promote diversity and knowledge transfer.

Networking and mentoring allow us to share knowledge, ideas and information. Networking helps us expand our network of connections, which ultimately includes potential future colleagues, employers, clients, business partner and even friends. Depending on how well a networking event is organized, it is a very effective way to allow people who didn't know each other before to exchange mutually valuable information. Networking doesn't require high costs, because it can basically happen everywhere at any time.

On the other hand, mentoring allows individuals to help other colleagues through guidance and questioning, giving them information about the organization for which they work and the skills needed to advance in certain career path. It is also helpful because it allows the mentees to identify and map their skills and talents in order to understand the type knowledge they'll need in the future to be successful in their responsibilities.

Mentors are also benefited from the mentoring relationship as they also learn skills they probably didn't have before. As I mentioned before, in networking and mentoring, all participants are reaping some of the value created in the relationships. Mentors are incredibly useful in helping their mentees expand their range of vision about a particular career and organization. In addition, mentors also expand their mentees.

These are four ideas on how to step up our networking and mentoring game:

1. Meet at least one new person everyday: set the goal to have at least one short conversation with one new person every day, either in person or using social media. These conversations don’t necessarily have to be around professional issues. Just sharing and commenting on basic information would do, and might eventually become a very valuable conversation. Meeting and talking to a new person every day help us keep our networking skills sharp. Whether the conversation ends up in small talk or in opportunities for both, see it as a personal training to stay engaged in the art of asking questions, showing interest for others and cultivating an open-mind.
2. Find people with whom you share interests: evidently, it is much better to meet a new person or have conversations with people who share interests with us. This is not difficult at all. There are several tools that allow you to participate in events with like-minded people, or simply connect with them on an informal basis. Meetup.com, twitter, LinkedIn and many others. To take the most advantage of those conversations, you need to make sure that you are clear in why you want to network and what you expect to get out of it. You need to set your networking goals.
3. Be bold and initiate conversations: when you are able to connect with new people (or even people that you know from before) you have to be bold and initiate the conversation. It doesn’t matter whether you are introvert or extrovert, opening a conversation doesn’t require much. It could be a short note in a social network asking some questions or expressing your interest in connecting further with that person. At a networking event, it is simply approaching people and starting the conversation with questions about them (never about you, at least at the beginning!)
4. Create the momentum in every conversation and find mentoring within: it is not all about you! When you want to maximize the value during networking, it is important to understand that it is not an elevator pitch to sell something. Rather, creating momentum means asking the interlocutor about themselves. Finding out more about what they need, showing genuine interest in them and how we can add value to them. Then, the transition to talking about our own interests becomes easy and natural, instead of selfish and egocentric. Take advantage of these conversations so that you informally get some mentoring on the go about skills, career and leadership development opportunities.

How many people are you meeting everyday to add value, create and expand your opportunities? How many interesting conversations are you having about career and leadership development for you and others around you? How are you framing your questions to make every conversation, a mentoring opportunity?

Follow me on Twitter: @erubio_p
Visit my blog: www.innovationdev.org

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About the Author: Enrique Rubio is an Electronic Engineer and a Fulbright scholar with an Executive Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University. Enrique is passionate about leadership, business and social entrepreneurship, curiosity, creativity and innovation. He is a blogger and podcaster, and also a competitive ultrarunner. Visit the blog: Innovation for Development and Podcast. Click here to follow Enrique on Twitter. 

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