Networking is essential if you want to advance your career. They can tell you about job prospects, provide guidance, and help you become a better version of yourself. In this article, we’re going to provide 8 tips that will help you effectively network for a job.
Find references
The simplest and fastest way to get to know people is through references. Stay with the people you know already and ask them to help you connect with the ones you want to meet. You would most likely receive a warm welcome and introduction to the person with whom you wanted to connect if you were introduced through your mutual friend or you participated in an interesting conversation. This effect is similar to LinkedIn‘s online introduction method, or just entering the right circle with someone you met at an event.
Social media
Networking through social media is an easy way to create important connections and without the face-to-face meeting pressure for which you might not be prepared. Check for similar or main contacts in your LinkedIn profile, Google +, Twitter, and other social media networks.
Try to comment on a link they post or answer a comment they made, start a conversation with them, and make the exchange interesting for them and yourself. It will be easier to reference past interactions with them when you have the opportunity to meet them in person.
Don’t ask for a job
Networking isn’t about asking for a job to every person you meet, in fact you can never ask anyone for a job when you network. You should ask people for details that will help you look for a job. Your key networking aim should be to develop a relationship and create a friendship so your contact would be able to refer you when a possible opportunity occurs in the future.
Resume advice
During a job hunt, another simple and highly effective way to network is to ask someone that you have formed a relationship with to review your CV and give you input on how to develop it and make it better. For a variety of reasons use of this technique as it is really important; by studying your resume they will learn about your professional experience, your past job titles, your ambitions and a lot of stuff they do not yet know about you. They may recall a business or a company that may well match your context.
Don’t hoard their time
When you start networking make sure you have an agenda and keep track of the meeting. Time is money and people are never satisfied with someone who takes up too much of their time. Prepare for the meeting in advance, by doing so you are building a reputation, gaining experience and mastering all of the important topics that you chose to discuss.
Build a conversation
Be sure you aren’t the only one talking while networking. Because being a good listener is the secret to being a good conversationalist. If you have asked someone else for opinion or their advice, allow them the chance to provide it and let you know about their answer. Or maybe they want to see you bring value to their job. If you are the only one talking, then the person will become uninterested in what they have to say and unsure about what action to take with the information you have received.
Ask the following questions to build a conversation:
- How long have you been working at this organization? Or how long have you been around in this field?
- What do you like about your work, or what do you hate about it?
- What kind of preparation and work did you do to reach this position?
- What is the company’s culture?
Share a success story
When you’ve identified a subject that may interest the other person, and you can give suggestions on it, propose a suggestion by sharing a story about how you helped someone in a similar situation. Tell them how you solved the problem, but keep it short and simple. Start by telling them about the problem and then the solution.
Find a reason to connect
If you want to build a relationship with another person, provide a justification for maintaining that relationship. When you are reading an article that adds to a conversation that you had at a networking meeting, save it, and send it to them with a short note about what you found interesting and how you thought it would help them. Seek to find at least two or three chances to reconnect regularly with your network.
