Do you know that creating meaningful relationships that support your career growth is key to building a professional network?
Networking is a lot like nutrition and fitness: we know what to do, the hard part is making it a top priority.-Herminia Ibarra, professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School. Portal Gale also described networking as your true worth.
Building a professional network is far more than collecting people’s contact details or knowing what companies or industry they are in or even only building relationships. It involves a whole lot more than these things but it starts with being intentional or some might say strategic. It involves meeting new people, attending events (both social and networking events), maintaining new relationships, building an online presence. It is not limited to these activities.
P:S: There must be a mutual value in maintaining a professional network.
Everyone desires a need to belong somewhere. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, the social needs is on the third level and also the last of the lower needs that is sometimes regarded as lower needs. The social needs comprises love, acceptance and belonging and Maslow confirmed that at this level a need for emotional/meaningful relationships drives human behaviour. Maslow hierarchy need is displayed as a pyramid constituting 5 levels of human needs and as people progress up the pyramid, needs become psychological and social.
Whether you’re just starting or looking to climb higher, your network can open doors, provide mentorship, and expose you to opportunities. Let’s explore five practical strategies to create and nurture a professional network that works for you.
- Start with People you know
Most times when we discuss networking, we talk from the standpoint of new relationships, meeting new people but a lot of us forget to look within our existing circle of friends, colleagues, or even school alumni. To start building your network, reach out and reconnect with those old bonds you forged in your school days, early career days or even someone you met in a previous networking event. Your networking begins with people, who are already in your life and a casual “Hello, how are you?” Can lead to unexpected opportunities.
- Attend Networking Event
It is often said "all work and no play makes Joe a dull boy"! Industry events are perfect for meeting like-minded professionals. Find conferences, events, or workshops in your industry and plan to attend them. Also attend events that resonate with your networking goals. You can go further to prepare an elevator pitch about yourself, your work and don’t forget to exchange contact information and follow up after the event.
- Give Value to Others
Networking isn’t a one-way street, it goes both ways. We fixate on what we get from a connection or our network that we forget that there’s also a need or room to be that value to others. Someone who received a value today may be the one who gives the value next time! Identify ways you can assist your network and connections. One way to do this is to share job postings, insights or resources. Position yourself as a voice, and resource to others. When people see you as a giver, they’re more likely to return the favor when you need it and just as the saying goes, “it is more blessed to give than to receive”.
- Leverage LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a gold mine for professionals and if done well will yield a bountiful harvest of connections. How do you leverage LinkedIn? Optimizing your profile if you already have one or creating an account, then optimizing if you do not have an account is the first step in leveraging Linkedin. If you don't have an idea on what to do, you can search for people working in the same industry or career path as you, go through their profile -this should give you an idea of how to optimize your profile. Share insightful posts, resources in your industry. Connect with others in your industry, engage on people’s posts by commenting, liking or sharing content that may be of value to others. Connect with others in your industry, engage on people’s posts by commenting, liking or sharing content that may be of value to others.
- Stay in Touch
Now, you have gone to an event, socialized, connected with a lot of people, they don’t become your network until you follow up or stay in touch with them. The secret to long-term networking success is consistent follow-ups. Networking is mainly what happens after the meet ups, events, exchange of contacts. The aftermath is the juice. Just like turning cold leads to warm leads or an audience. Sending a message to people you connected with after the events is a nice way to stay in touch as this can lead to further conversation that could lead to numerous opportunities. Depending on how close you get, you can schedule regular or occasional check-ins with your networks and also include updates about your career progress. Drop a friendly note to share updates or wish someone a happy birthday/congratulations on career updates, they might share. These small gestures keep you on their radar.
