I recently attended a seminar at my company about networking. Networking is crucial for career growth and is the stepping stone that can help you reach your dreams and goals. Many people think networking is simply building relationships and meeting people. But, strategic networking is different. Strategic networking is focused with a goal in mind. Here are some barriers that can stand in the way of strategic networking:1) Not being clear about what you want: You need to know where you want to go. Write it down, create a career map and identify the holes that might arise. A recent study showed that only 5% of Americans have goals written down. Being clear about what you want and writing it down is the only way that you will be able to find out who you need to talk to in order to learn the information you need to reach your goals.
2) Being afraid to ask others for help. I recently heard a man in my company say that women often approach him saying ” I know you are busy, but can you help me with something?” But, when men approach him, they say “I need your help” and what a difference that can make. Be assertive and don’t be afraid to ask others for help. People can’t read your mind! Let them know why you are reaching out to them and how they can help you get to the next level in your career.
3) Not having time to network. This is my biggest pitfall. I am often too busy with work and school to reach out and connect with someone over lunch. The key that I am working on is changing my thinking so that networking is a part of my job. I have learned that you have to make it a priority and this is my goal over the next year. If possible, think of your job as 50% in office and 50% connecting and building relationships with those in your office.
4) I am an introvert: If you are an introvert like me, it is hard to be open and let strangers into your life. To network, you have to be open and curious. You must also show up and be present in all conversations. Sometimes the hardest part is getting to the event but you will be glad you did once you get there. Meet one person and start speaking with them and asking questions. This way, it will be easier to meet others since you know one person very well. Also, don’t be afraid to speak up if you have something to say and have a question ready to ask such as “How did you get started in your career” or “What are you passionate about?”
5) Not sure who to connect with. Easy! Let your friends and family know your dreams and goals and ask them if they have any connections that they could introduce you to. Another great tip is every time you get to know someone new, ask them if there is anyone else they know that they could introduce you to. Never leave a meeting without another connection!
Make sure to stop by later this week because I am going to let you in on my 2011 Networking Challenge! I can’t wait to share it with you and hope that you will join me in building relationships and reaching goals in 2011.
About Anna Runyan
I found your blog on Mingle Monday and I love it!! So cute! I am looking forward to reading more of your blog.
http://www.singlegallivingitup.blogspot.com
Angie- so glad you found classy career girl blog and that you like it! Thanks for stopping by!
Great tips!!! Thanks so much, New Follower
Tanya- thanks! Glad you like the tips and always glad to have a new follower!
This is a terrific post! I love my job, but I have found it difficult to encourage networking in my agency. We have several different "sites" scattered throughout Southeastern Ohio, so employees tend to feel left out at times. I've tried several things including developing an agency newsletter, sending out mass e-mails about agency news, etc. to get everyone together. I think it's helped some, but i still wish employees would network more! They seem to get into the same routine and feel uncomfortable breaking it.
And now, my beg and plead (if you haven't already done this:)
On New Year’s Eve, I’ll be saying good-bye from my blog, “A Day in the Life of a Grad Student’s Wife”. I appreciate you following me there, and I hope you will visit my new blog, “A Professor’s Wife”, at http://www.aprofessorswife.com! I’m celebrating the new year, the end of my husband’s 7-year stint as a grad student, and my new phase in life beginning on New Year’s Day with an official blog launch/post, and I would love for you to join me!
You can head on over to http://www.aprofessorswife.com now, and start following via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, and/or email so you don’t miss a thing!
I hope you’ve had a wonderful holiday season. Happy 2011, and I’ll see ya around at “A Professor’s Wife”!
-Stephanie S.
Thanks Steph! Congrats to your husband for graduating! It is really tough to network at work when everyone us at a different location. My work has a similar issue. I think you could still do phone callls and videoconferences at lunch to help bridge this gap? A newsletter is also a great idea! Do you ever get people all together in one location over the year?
Looking forward to checking out your new website!
I found your blog while searching for advice on trying to network and informational interviews. More or less, I went to school for a very, very long time and developed no skills when it comes to job hunting. My job search has stretched out forever now, partly due to the economy and partly due to bad strategies.
I hear about networking all the time, but the actual going about it is proving difficult. I'm shy to begin with, which doesn't help much when trying to contact people. I'm living hundreds and hundred of miles, by necessity of having to live with family right now, from the major hotbeds for my industry. That makes things kind of hard. Also, I know no one to even help in tentatively getting going with all of this. I know what companies I want to work for. I just can't seem to find names for specific people! The people I do know (largely, my grad school professors) don't ever seem to know anyone working at this companies. People I know in other ways don't know people associated with this companies. It's so frustrating feeling that I need to try this and not seeming to get any traction with it because all of the traditional advice on networking falls apart because of my current situation(s). Do you have any advice from building a network from scratch when you don't know anyone and are having trouble even finding names?
R- So glad that you found my blog! I hope that it helps provide you with helpful information for job hunting! Networking is difficult sometimes. I am shy too so I know how you feel. I would recommend doing as many phone informational interviews that you can do. Your question about finding people is a good one. I am going to do a future post on it. I hope that you will continue reading. I don't have your email address so send me an email at classycareergirl@gmail.com so I can make sure you get notified when I post it. Thanks for stopping by and good luck! Keep on working hard and sticking with it and you will find people to network with. I already like your determination