Networking “It´s not about instant wins”

Professional Networking

To build effective relationships and to grow your professional network is key to advance in your career. We tend to leave this activity when we are about to start our job-hunting. However it´s essential to integrate this networking task as a part of our daily routines. This activity it´s not only for job-hunters but also for  people who are employed by an organization or they are working as self-employed.  

It can be a bit daunting to start this activity when you haven´t done it before and it can prove more difficult when you have an introverted personality. Having said this, it´s all about practice and resilience and of course a bit of patience. Knowing that you want to establish quality contacts in the long term. In my opinon this task needs to be embraced with a positive spirit and you need to be ready to listen and to help instead of looking for a 100% self interest gain.

According to Julia Hobsbawan “Networking professor at Cass Business School”

“A networker embeds these practices into their daily lives that fundamentally affect how they interact with others and which, through knowledge transfer could even impact  their company´s bottom line”

“People make the mistake of thinking networking is very transactional-that one good turn results in another. The truth is that it´s a much longer-term project. True networkers don´t look for instant gain. The impacts often aren´t immediate or obvious, and come about in unusual ways.”

Darryl Howes a business pychologist ” These days it´s not just about who you know, it´s about how well you know them, who they know and whether you´ll make a connection”.

What steps can you follow in a networking event?

1. Choose the conference or event that has a potential interest for you.
2. If there is a previous attendance list, pay attention to it.
3. Have an objective in mind, think about having at least 3 productive conversations that you can do a later follow up.
4. Do you have your business cards ready? A pen, notebook or your mobile phone.
5.  How are you going to introduce yourself? Prepare your elevetor pitch/ introductory lines.
6. Get there a bit early to review the attendance list or nametag table to identify people you want to talk to.
7. Food stations can offer you a good opportunity to engage with people.
8. Have a few opening lines ready ” Have you travelled far?” “It´s my first time in this event”
9. Be honest about why you are there and what you hope to get out of the event. Be curious and interested in what others are saying.
10. After a few successful conversations, take note of who you have spoken and what you´ve discussed. Business cards can be a way of keeping track of the date and the subject of conversation. If there is anybody you´ve met that can be interesting to connect with somebody else in the room, don´t hesitate to introduce them.
11. Remember to end the conversation gracefully ” It was great mmeting you” Swap business cards and promise to follow up on the meet.
12. Following up is vital, don´t leave it until is too late, 24h/48 hours. Let them see you remember them and take the opportunity to invite them for a meeting if you have found interesting points in common.

Information partly extracted  from People Management Magazine February 2015 CIPD  “Work the room and get out alive”http://www.cipd.co.uk/pm/