Your networking activities should be a part of your work life no matter where you are in your career.
Recent research indicates that networking can make you smarter, one more reason to consider when deciding if networking is really that helpful in your search.
It appears interacting with others on a regular basis helps to keep you mentally alert and can boost your memory.
A Career Rescue reader recently commented on how difficult it is to start networking once you let your contacts drift away, and that’s true.
Most job seekers struggle with the networking start-up process. They find it too intimidating to reach out to others, or they lack the skills to develop contacts. In either case, networking starts with how you perceive the outcome — who you expect to respond, and what you will say when you meet people.
Networking is a natural way to connecting with one another, and the most successful networkers are the ones that are most genuine in the way they meet people.
What tends to make networking unnatural is when you try to act like someone else. Just be yourself, and let your networking style develop over time.
Here are a few suggestions to consider when networking:
•Know your introduction so well that it feels natural and unrehearsed. Practicing what you want to say will help shape your introduction until it feels genuine.
•Always have good questions to ask to make the most of your meetings. Many job seekers find themselves in unexpected meetings and unprepared, so they end up making small talk and miss an opportunity to gather information.
•Overcome your hesitation to ask for help. Asking for help does not make you appear needy, it makes you appear proactive. Everyone who is active in the marketplace will, at some point in their career, go through a job search, so you are not alone.
What are some of your networking challenges?
