Many professionals see networking as the worst part of their job. It must be done even if you don’t enjoy that side of professional life. The good news is that it won’t feel nearly as laborious as it sounds if you do it right.
Professional networking is all about deliberately creating and maintaining relationships within a working environment. In other words, these connections can help your professional career.
Set a Goal
One of the best ways to improve yourself is by setting goals. As such, if you want to be better at professional networking, you should set a goal. This goal should be trackable and achievable. For example, perhaps you wish to establish ten new professional connections throughout the following year.
Prep Conversation Starters
Do you struggle with approaching new people? Consider prepping a list of conversation starters. Think of them as professional icebreakers. They work in social environments, so why not a professional one? Run with ideas that you can remember and feel comfortable with.
Be Yourself
Above all else, you must strive to be genuine in all your interactions. Nobody likes talking to somebody who feels false – so don’t put on a face. Instead, be yourself and try to make genuine connections. These connections will last longer than the alternative.
Business Cards
Don’t forget your business cards! Business cards are a great way to make an impression while making it possible for connections to find you again. Your business cards should be professional, memorable, and contain all the essential information. Ideally, one should always keep their business cards with them, especially when attending professional or networking events.
Use Social Media
Using social media may sound like an unprofessional way to make connections, but it would be a mistake to overlook this option. There are professional networking readily available to use – such as LinkedIn. This is an excellent way of finding new connections or maintaining your current ones. Your chosen platform should partially depend on your profession, so keep this in mind.
Follow Up
Once a connection has been made, it’s essential to work on maintaining it. That means following up – checking in to see how they’re doing and if they need anything. In other words, you can’t make the connection and leave it. These relationships take work, so you must be willing to put in the time and effort.