Networking involves building and maintaining relationships with people who can offer you advice, support, opportunities, or referrals. If you’re like me, networking doesn’t come naturally. You need to develop networking skills to help get your dream job and advance within your career.
You may have heard this before, but you should spend 60-70% of your available job search time on networking. The remainder of your time would be spent on online postings and applying for jobs.
The Power of Networking
When I transitioned to civilian life after the military, I quickly found that networking was essential to getting my next job and getting promoted. My network helped me land my first civilian job, and I had mentors who helped me find and secure new opportunities in my civilian career. My network led to me getting my last leadership job before I retired and to the current role I have with a veteran nonprofit.
Over the past year, I’ve helped many clients with resumes and LinkedIn profiles. But often these won’t land interviews by themselves, and the customers become frustrated. For many, it wasn’t until they took advantage of networking opportunities that they started getting interviews.
You have to build your professional network and continue to develop it over time. You have to consistently work on developing your networking skills. But don’t fret, there is help out there.
Build a Mentorship Team
Mentors should be a valuable part of your new professional network and they can help you extend it. You should develop a mentorship team, as few senior-level people have the time or range of expertise to serve as solo mentors.
You should find mentors who are professionals in your target career who can help you network and give you additional ideas on who to connect with. If you don’t have any mentors in your chosen career field, you can find some good mentors online.
Online platforms like MentorCloud, MentorCruise, and MentorCity are sites you should explore to find professional mentors. These platforms will ask you to complete a simple profile and offer potential matches with various mentors. You make the selection based on who you think would be the best fit for you.
Using Social Media to Build Your Network
Another way to build your professional network is to use social media. LinkedIn lets you find professionals in the jobs and companies you’re interested in. You can manually search LinkedIn for professionals in your target job or use an AI tool.
NetworkAI is an AI tool that helps you grow your LinkedIn network. It shows you who to connect with and what to say based on your profile, goals, and interests. You should do short information interviews with the professionals you connect with on LinkedIn. You can do these online or on the phone. Keep your informational interviews brief – 15 to 20 minutes.
Join Professional Associations
Another way to build your professional network is to attend professional association meetings in your chosen career field. For example, for project management professionals, the Project Management Institute has local chapters that meet on occasion with the primary purpose being for networking. Join a professional association and attend local meetings to build your professional network.
How To Network Effectively
When you have an informational interview or another networking opportunity, you want to use a structured approach to get the most out of it. Early in my career when I had a networking opportunity, I just “winged it.” Thinking back, I could have been much more effective in my networking opportunities.
A simple, structured approach to your networking opportunities can help tremendously. A client I recently coached recommended a great book called, “The 20-Minute Networking Meeting”. This book provides a structured 5 step process for conducting networking sessions. I highly recommend you pick this book up and follow the approach when you’re networking.
Start with a Clear Goal and Plan
One of the first things to do for networking connections is to have a clear goal and plan for your networking opportunity. What are you hoping to gain from the interaction? Having a clear goal and a plan can help you focus your networking efforts and make the most of your time.
Most networking opportunities can have three main goals: 1) Find leads for open positions; 2) Gather information on needed qualifications and what it’s like to work in your target job/ company; 3) Add new contacts to your list through referrals.
The Conversation
Think about how to start the conversation by preparing some open-ended questions or topics that can spark a dialogue. For example, you can ask about their background, their current projects, their challenges, and their goals.
People love to talk about themselves, and they appreciate it when others show interest in them. Asking people about themselves is a simple and effective way to build rapport, trust, and likability.
If you have a specific goal or need, don’t be afraid to ask for it. You can ask for referrals, recommendations, introductions, or opportunities, as long as you are polite, respectful, and clear.
Exit the conversation gracefully by using a couple of strategies: 1) Express your appreciation and gratitude, such as “It was a pleasure talking to you” or “Thank you for your time and insights”; 2) Exchange contact information and suggest a follow-up, such as “Can I have your business card?” or “Can we stay in touch via email?”.
What Can You Offer?
This question you ask yourself is often overlooked but it can be a difference-maker. It will help you feel like you’re a partner and not a burden to the people you contact. I’ve had mentees share their insights and resources that have helped them in their job search. They have helped me be a more effective coach for others.
The Follow-Up
Follow up every time. Networking is not only about making connections but also about keeping them. To do that, you need to follow up with the people you meet and show your interest and value. You can follow up by sending an email, making a phone call, or connecting on social media.
Remember that networking isn’t about being smooth and polished. It’s about developing relationships through brief, meaningful interactions. These professional relationships can provide leads for job opportunities and insights into what it’s like to work in your target job and company. To be effective at networking, follow a structured approach and work at it. It may pay off when you least expect it to help you land your dream job.