Summer Networking is a MUST

August is often described as a month when nothing gets done because everyone is on vacation. Europeans do close down their businesses in August and give their employees the month off. Here in America, kids are having their final lazy days before school starts and many families are squeaking in one last vacation before the end of the season; but America is not on vacation! And August is actually a fantastic time to rev up your networking efforts! The slower pace at your place of work and potentially lighter workload provides the opportunity to reassess your current network, reach out to new connections and schedule meetings to build relationships. It is not a time to be more lackadaisical about your networking activities. On the contrary, and especially depending upon your circumstances, it is a month to be vigilant in reaching out to individuals who can be helpful to you.

Reminder…networking never goes out of style!

While some issues, challenges or trends in the business world come and go in their importance, networking has always been and will always be a key factor to success. A recent survey from LinkedIn corroborates the point reporting that 80% of professionals consider business networking to be important to career advancement. Additional findings from the study provide further evidence:

• In 2016, 70% of people were hired at a company where they had a connection
• 35% of those surveyed indicated that a conversation on LinkedIn Messaging led to a new opportunity
• 61% of professionals agree that regular online interaction with their network can lead to potential job opportunities

And very importantly, 98% of all people contacted will look at your LinkedIn profile before meeting with you.

So if your LinkedIn profile is not up-to-date with a professional photograph and current information, update it or consider consulting with a LinkedIn expert to assist.

Benefits of Networking

Networking can help your career in many ways from gaining information or learning about a new field to conducting a job search or moving up the career ladder. There are also several other possible benefits including:

• Gaining visibility
• Learning interpersonal and leadership skills
• Building allies and developing reciprocal business relationships
• Learning about competitors
• Brainstorming ideas/solving problems
• Acquiring new business opportunities and leads
• Understanding various outside organizations
• Assessing your worth
• Being asked to join a board or committee position

In other words, you never know when you might need to leverage your network, so keeping it active and current is key! Touch base with your network regularly - even if it's just a quick email to say hello or to ask how they are doing. People are more willing and able to help out when the time comes if they know who you are and your goals.

Networking and Social Media

The excuse of not having the time or energy to cultivate and build your network is no longer valid. In fact, networking today is even easier with social media platforms such as LinkedIn and FaceBook! They give you an opportunity to identify individuals to connect with who might help your career ambitions and drive your development. Making the ‘ask’ to connect is also much easier through these tools. Additionally, they provide up-to-date information on both yourself and a potential new connection – so make sure your profile demonstrates that you are someone worth meeting and can provide value. Build your connections strategically and see who they are connected to.

However, don’t hide behind your computer! Hold your networking meetings in-person! This is a critical factor to establishing trust and a lasting relationship. Meeting someone in the flesh and having eye contact helps to build a better, more genuine connection. So while it’s fine to arrange your meetings through online resources, the networking itself should be, if possible, live.

Networking Is A Two-Way Street

Finally, remember that networking is a reciprocal arrangement. You have to be willing to do something for the person you are meeting with, so approach each interaction with the thought “how can I help this person?”. This can be as easy as sending an interesting article you come across, sharing a job opportunity or making an introduction to others. The function of a professional network is to act as a resource for help, but you should reciprocate whenever you can.

So take some time this month to evaluate your network. Have you been in touch recently? Do you have resources or information you can share to provide value to others? Is there a career goal you want to reach and need to make new connections to get there? Are there experts in your field you should meet? Are you attending your industry conferences with a view towards meeting people outside your company? These are all great activities that you can start to cultivate during the doldrums of August in order to establish a routine of networking regularly. As we know, it is a key to professional success!

Molly D. Shepard, MS, MSM is the President & CEO of The Leader's Edge/Leaders By Design and has more than 35 years of experience in career counseling, leadership development, executive coaching and executive search. Molly is highly-regarded in the field of leadership development and has published four books.