Relationships are the most effective way to land a job, make a business deal, get promoted, do research, get market insights, and and and. The benefits of networking are endless and an indispensable tool for almost anything!
But does the word networking give you goosebumps? I am an introvert and the idea of attending an event with an agenda to advance myself in business makes me not want to attend the event! Networking for me has always been attached to having to ‘sell’ myself and making inauthentic conversation with people who have bags of self-esteem.
Though, networking is probably THE most important way of connecting with others to succeed in a career and in business. A mindset shift is needed!
What if networking is an opportunity to help others? An opportunity to have fun? To be out in the world to learn?
Here are some tips on how to network authentically:
1) Instead of giving your well-prepared elevator pitch, join every conversation with curiosity and intent to learn about the other person. Meeting new people should not be about how they can serve you, but about how you can serve them. This is not only a great recipe for building a genuine relationship, but also good news for introverts, as it is much easier to ask questions than to talk about us.
2) Prepare some anchoring questions ahead of the event. This will avoid the awkward silences and give you a head start in showing interest and curiosity about the other person. Before getting into the nitty gritty of what the other person does career-wise, get curious about their opinion on the event, with questions like:
- What brings you to this event?
- How is the event going for you so far?
- What was your highlight of this event?
- What are your take-aways from today’s session?
3) It is not about the number of networking events you attend, but about the quality of connections. Choose the type of networking events that suit you.
- You may wish to attend an industry specific talk or a professional conference.
- There are organised regular women’s/men’s only networking breakfasts that are great for long-term, intentional relationships to advance each other in business.
- If you are on the market for a job, you could try job fairs or company-led recruitment events. It is also worth keeping an eye out for university events.
- For a more casual setting, you could try workshops or meet-ups.
There are lots of options and ways to network. We just need to show up with authenticity and curiosity, and the rest will follow!
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