How To Level Up Your Networking Game
I love meeting and connecting new people from all walks of life. I’m a professional matchmaker and I find it rewarding seeing people come together. Networking has helped lead to so many opportunities from interviews, jobs, and mentorship. I know from my experience, there was never a class in college that showed students how to network. Your network is your currency, and because I have experienced so many great benefits from networking, I want to share a few tips on how you can start networking yourself.
Let's talk about the 5 reasons why you should start networking
Build Confidence & Communication Skills
Personal Brand & Awareness
Access to New Job Opportunities & Leads
Resources & Industry trends
Inspiration & Mentorship
Why Spend Time on Career Networking?
Networking can help you get hired and grow your career. A LinkedIn global survey found that:
80% of professionals consider professional networking to be important to career success.
35% of surveyed professionals say that a casual conversation on LinkedIn Messaging has led to a new opportunity.
61% of professionals agree that regular online interaction with their professional network can lead the way into possible job opportunities.
Tips on how to start networking
Know where to network, depending on your end goal. Do you want to grow your client base? Are you looking for a new job opportunity? Are you interested in connecting with other professionals in your field across the country (or globe!)? The first step is figuring out your goal (and you can have more than one!) and then start planning which platforms you are going to use to start networking.
Have your an elevator pitch ready! Come up with a few sentences that sum up who you are, what you do, and what your ultimate goals are. Write it down and don’t be embarrassed to practice in the mirror or even record it so you can play it back and see what you feel good about and what you might want to change. Test it out on friends too to get feedback!
When meeting new people, it’s always helpful to have go-to, thoughtful questions to start off the conversation. “What do you do?” can be replaced by “How have you gotten to where you are in your career?” or “What is your career story?”
If you're new to networking, start with your own network. Ask friends and co-workers to introduce you to people in their network that work in industries or at companies that interest you. Don’t hesitate to mention your mutual connection to get the conversation started.
Follow up! It's important to build those relationships through time: Check-in! Send a thoughtful or pertinent news article, share your own work, comment on their LinkedIn posts: engage!
Sharing is caring— you’ll be a networker in no time!
