Smart Networking: Focus Where It Matters Most

I really like doing my training course in networking. Because networking is such a valuable skill!

One common concern I’ve observed during these sessions is that some young people worry networking will take up too much of their time. They assume they’ll need to constantly keep in touch with hundreds of people and fear that not doing so might come across as rude. However, that’s not the case. Many are relieved to learn that networking can be much more relaxed and manageable. It’s an essential part of any job but doesn’t have to consume a lot of time if you organize your network into categories that require different levels of attention.

A useful way to think about this is through a model I call “the three concentric circles of networking,” which is the focus of this article.

Think of Your Network as Concentric Circles

Throughout your career, you’ll interact with thousands of people – far too many to actively stay in touch with, even if you want to. Because of this, you must choose how you invest your time and attention. It’s simply not possible to treat all relationships equally. To manage this effectively, think of your network as three concentric circles: your inner, middle, and outer circles.

Inner Circle

In your inner circle are the people most important to you. They are the individuals you invest the most time in to keep the relationship going. They are those you actively do something to keep in touch with (if you wouldn’t otherwise be in contact) – for example, by having a coffee or a meal together, keeping in touch by email, social media, phone, etc.

The people in your inner circle are those you know well, genuinely like, trust, and enjoy spending time with. If these criteria aren’t met, the relationship won’t feel authentic, and they probably don’t belong in this circle for the long term.

With people in your inner circle, you are – mutually – on each other’s minds. You think of each other often, help without hesitation when asked, and even proactively support one another. For instance, if a professional opportunity arises, you might immediately think of someone in your inner circle and reach out to share the news. The same goes when you meet someone you believe would be of interest to a person in your inner circle: then you introduce them to each other.

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Middle Circle

Your middle circle is made up of people you consider part of your network, even if they’re not as close as those in your inner circle. You’ve spent enough time with these individuals to have established a foundation of trust and mutual respect, whether as colleagues or in professional partnerships, such as clients, consultants, suppliers, or partners.

Because you’ve already built this trust, you’re likely to respond to each other’s requests and be willing to help, at least to some extent. You may spend a bit of effort from time to time to “ping” each other – for example, by congratulating each other on birthdays, commenting on social media, occasionally sharing something interesting, etc.

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Outer Circle

Your outer circle includes all the people you don’t have the capacity – or desire – to stay in close touch with. These might be former colleagues, people you’ve met at professional events, or contacts you’ve exchanged information with but haven’t built a deeper relationship with (at least not yet). While you’ve met – in person, over the phone, or virtually – and know each other at least superficially, you don’t do much to actively keep in touch because it’s just not practical.

However, that doesn’t necessarily matter, as the value of the relationships in your outer circle lies in the fact that you have met and do know each other, at least superficially. And that makes for a big difference to complete strangers. Because if you ever need to reach out, you’ll be contacting someone you know, not a total stranger. And that’s the strength of your outer circle: it’s a pool of contacts you can still engage with, even after years of no interaction.

For example, if someone you once knew now works at a company you want to connect with, you could reach out for advice. Or if you have a relevant question, it’s perfectly appropriate to message someone you met briefly, even years ago. You might say something like: “We met at the A conference three years ago, and I remember our conversation about B. I’m working on something related now and wondered if I could ask you...” If you left a good impression back then, there’s a decent chance they’ll respond positively, provided your request is reasonable.

In your outer circle, there’s really no limit to how many connections you can have because you don’t spend time actively managing them. You may do something to stay on people’s radar by posting, sharing, and commenting

on things online, but you don’t spend much time actively staying in touch on a person-to-person basis. That way, your outer-circle connections may be counted in many hundreds or even thousands after years in your career.

Note, though, that your outer circle should only include people you’ve actually interacted with. Merely connecting with a stranger on e.g. LinkedIn doesn’t give that relationship value until there’s been some form of personal interaction.

The value of the Concentric Circles model

In summary, thinking of your network as concentric circles helps you avoid feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to maintain too many connections. Instead, you can focus your efforts on the relationships that matter most: your inner circle.

When you meet new people, you can connect with them (for example, on LinkedIn) and keep each other as contacts for the future. And nothing more is needed; you don’t have to spend effort maintaining the connection (because that’s now stored in LinkedIn). And if you find the relationship valuable, you can start keeping in touch on a more regular basis and thus nurture it into something closer. In the same way, some of the people in your inner and middle circles will fade out with time.

Thus, who’s in what circle will be ever-changing as you (and the people around you) change jobs, locations, and industries as your careers develop.

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This is the twelfth in a series of 14 articles that convey the main concepts of my book 12 Universal Skills to LinkedIn readers – especially those at the beginning of their careers.

For more on the topic, have a look at: 12 Universal Skills: The Beginner’s Guide to a Successful Work Life.