4 Tips to Jumpstart Your Networking Skills!
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2025 5:40 am
I recently enjoyed a wonderful experience of participating in a women’s networking session for undergraduate students at Quinnipiac University. As I sat there answering questions from a freshman, I pondered how much more sophisticated the preparation process for landing a job had become. Reflecting back to my collegiate years, I realize I definitely wasn’t proactive enough to have landing a job (much less learning about networking tips) on my radar in my freshman year. Come to think of it, I was an introvert and not too focused on it in my senior year and many years beyond that. As the students embraced the knowledge shared, it occurred to me that there are equally experienced professionals who are also job seekers and would benefit from building their networking capabilities. In this piece, I will focus on sharing 4 networking tips that allow you to take ownership of your career and open up yourself for the abundance of opportunities you seek.
The process of landing plum roles has morphed over time. Yes, there are the united kingdom phone number resource traditional online applications via company sites and job posting sites like Monster, Indeed, Simply Hired, CareerBuilder, and LinkUp, but these days it is the referral and networking process that carries preferential weight and yields the best results for both sides. On numerous occasions over the past 3 months, I’ve been told that 70% of jobs are found through referrals. I know this to be true as companies are inundated by the number of job seekers and are counting on and rewarding their employees for helping them to source and vet suitable candidates for employment. Job seekers must capitalize on tactics that ensure their resume (cv) lands at the top of the pile. This is why sites like LinkedIn are thriving as it focuses on leveraging large networks to land opportunities.
There is an art to networking that not everyone possesses. I speak from experience, as previously I too was not giving networking the focus it deserved in my career. I have always admired the people who are effortless at networking while others of us flounder around trying to get the words out that they are unemployed or shall we say “in transition”. Below are four ways to improve your networking game as undoubtedly you’ll have to beef it up to stand out and land the desired opportunity.
1. Professional Networking doesn’t begin when you need it.
After being told time and time again that networking must be an ongoing process, I have seen the light. It’s the proverbial preparation for a rainy day. A carefully cultivated network is similar to that card you have in a safe place and pull it out when an emergency arrives. You need to nurture these relationships to ensure more favorable access when you are ready to tap your network for a favor. As previously stated, I am a true believer in networking as I’ve witnessed the opportunities that literally fall into the laps of friends who are savvy networkers. While employed, it is easy to forget about networking and get caught up in fulfilling your job responsibilities. No one can blame you for focusing on what you’re ultimately being paid to do. However, it would behoove you to regularly take a few minutes out of your day to network with others and cultivate meaningful relationships. I had an ex-boss who told me to take the time to walk around the office and chat with people. I must confess that at the time it seemed like a time drain when pressing deadlines loomed. However, in hindsight, my perspective was flawed, as networking is something that deserves a priority spot in your day. You can always tell the people that honor the networking game as they are able to regularly land opportunities that the “non-networker” wouldn’t dream of or have a chance of landing.
The process of landing plum roles has morphed over time. Yes, there are the united kingdom phone number resource traditional online applications via company sites and job posting sites like Monster, Indeed, Simply Hired, CareerBuilder, and LinkUp, but these days it is the referral and networking process that carries preferential weight and yields the best results for both sides. On numerous occasions over the past 3 months, I’ve been told that 70% of jobs are found through referrals. I know this to be true as companies are inundated by the number of job seekers and are counting on and rewarding their employees for helping them to source and vet suitable candidates for employment. Job seekers must capitalize on tactics that ensure their resume (cv) lands at the top of the pile. This is why sites like LinkedIn are thriving as it focuses on leveraging large networks to land opportunities.
There is an art to networking that not everyone possesses. I speak from experience, as previously I too was not giving networking the focus it deserved in my career. I have always admired the people who are effortless at networking while others of us flounder around trying to get the words out that they are unemployed or shall we say “in transition”. Below are four ways to improve your networking game as undoubtedly you’ll have to beef it up to stand out and land the desired opportunity.
1. Professional Networking doesn’t begin when you need it.
After being told time and time again that networking must be an ongoing process, I have seen the light. It’s the proverbial preparation for a rainy day. A carefully cultivated network is similar to that card you have in a safe place and pull it out when an emergency arrives. You need to nurture these relationships to ensure more favorable access when you are ready to tap your network for a favor. As previously stated, I am a true believer in networking as I’ve witnessed the opportunities that literally fall into the laps of friends who are savvy networkers. While employed, it is easy to forget about networking and get caught up in fulfilling your job responsibilities. No one can blame you for focusing on what you’re ultimately being paid to do. However, it would behoove you to regularly take a few minutes out of your day to network with others and cultivate meaningful relationships. I had an ex-boss who told me to take the time to walk around the office and chat with people. I must confess that at the time it seemed like a time drain when pressing deadlines loomed. However, in hindsight, my perspective was flawed, as networking is something that deserves a priority spot in your day. You can always tell the people that honor the networking game as they are able to regularly land opportunities that the “non-networker” wouldn’t dream of or have a chance of landing.