Add these 5 Networking tips to your career toolkit

Being the first to growing a career as a first generation professional without a blueprint can feel overwhelming. Having a plan and a destination to work towards always helps to avoid staying in the overwhelm.

Here are five tips I keep in mind as you build your career toolkit.

Networking isn’t one size fits all

Attending networking events to grow your network is always a blanketed statement suggestion thrown around as a solution when intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs. Whether you are networking to gain more social capital to advance a project or build your email list, you have to do your research ahead of time.

Things to think about before you go:

• Who is hosting?

• What type of people will this event bring out?

• What are the activities happening? (So you know what type of energy that you need)

Things to have before you go:

• An open mind (leave the work and home at the door)

• A purpose on attending - Will this event move your work or career forward?

• A plan - Take a peak at the agenda to have a game plan. Don’t get wrapped up in everyone else’s plans for you.

Whether your plan is to get five new contacts to grow into potential clients or to have conversations with specific people in your community, make sure you set that intent before you attend (you can always make adjustments in real time).

Your career is your responsibility

Your career is your responsibility so treat everything that you do as an investment. Look at the connections you meet, the pictures taken and information received as seeds planted.

• Network with intent - Do your research before the event on who will be there. Look up the hosts and panels. Use this information to decide if the people attending or the information being shared can benefit you or your work in some way.

• Review the agenda - Use it to help you outline your game plan.

• Build your personal brand - Have your marketing materials ready like your blinq digital business card and your pitch. If you don’t have a personal brand you can download our business canva here.

Bonus: Setting yourself a part is in the small details. Have well thought out questions ready for the specific people that you want to engage.

It takes time to develop your network

Connections are seeds planted. A rule of thumb is to build relationships that you don’t need right away.

Remember earlier when we said to have a plan, here’s where that comes in handy. Most times other individuals at these events have their own agenda, too.

Here are some suggestions:

• Don’t take it personal: Try not to be timid or offended by their intensity (especially in DC #IYKYK). You might not be a part of their agenda and that’s okay.

• Everyone can’t go: Everyone isn’t meant for you and you’re not meant for everyone. It’s okay to be picky. Keep engaging people until you find whatever it is you are looking for.

• Stay connected: Connect with people on Linkedin. If someone gave you valuable advice, follow up with them when you put their advice to use.

Take care of the connections you do make in the moments you share with people. Networking is a continuous cycle of seeking, maintaining and sustaining relationships. This also means that you could see these people over and over. Building quality relationships is a valuable tool to hone and keep sharp throughout your career.

Feel the fear and do it anyways

You have to start somewhere. People' aren’t going to know who you are if you don’t.

Understand that working a room, talking about yourself and pitching your or your company isn’t easy. The only way to master it is to begin, keep practicing and realizing what strengths and weaknesses you need to hone or work on.

When you understand your value, it shines through your communication and how you interact with people. I’ll go into more into this on another blog.

Make it fun

Networking should be strategic. That doesn’t mean that it should be a daunting task.

It should be something you want to engage in because you will reap the benefits. Make it work for you. Go to fun events, bring fun people or bring the fun with you. Don’t have too much fun.

You never know who you’re going to meet. You could meet your next business partner at a concert or at the airport. Think outside the box. Be creative. Traveling outside of your zone is where growth is.

Networking isn’t one size fits all.

They will be what you make of them. Remember that the events that you attend are seeds planted in your career journey. Take care of them and water the seeds as you continue to network.

Give it your best shot every time.

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Christina L. Glancy is a personal enterprise adviser and business strategist. She specializes in guiding first generation professionals to establish healthy boundaries and reciprocal relationships to navigate growth cycles.

Reposted and updated on atfirstglancesolutions.com on 6/25/2023. Originally posted on Nspiregreen.com on 6/19/2018