Although it might seem like a daunting task, networking has the potential to work wonders for you in your professional career. Knowing and understanding the art of networking is tremendously important as it opens up avenues that you’ve never even considered before.
What is a career network?
Networking essentially means to create mutually beneficial and long-term relationships with people who you come across in your day to day work life. A career network consists of people from your workplace, people from the same industry as yours, and people with whom you might share a common interest.
Why network?
Career networking must become a part and parcel of your everyday work life. Based on LinkedIn reports, upwards of 80% of people feel that networking is an important factor for career growth while close to 60% opine on the fact that regularly connecting with their network has often led to new opportunities.
How can you become an effective networker?
To unleash the true power of networking in your job hunt, you need to start networking effectively. Building a strong and reliable network is an ongoing task and the below tips will help you become an effective networker:
- Build a strong social media presence
Social media accounts, especially LinkedIn, play a very important role in helping you connect with people who are geographically at a different place than you. In today’s highly digital era, keeping a comprehensive social media account is very important to let people know who you are and where you’d like to be professional.
- Stay connected
Calling in a favor from your network when you’re in need is not the sole purpose of your career network. It is quite crucial to maintain regular interaction with people in your network, even if it to just ask how they are and what they are up to. People are more likely to assist you when they know who you are.
- Connect with relevant people
Many people confuse networking with having the most number of connections on LinkedIn and knowing everybody in their workplace. While it may not be such a bad thing, but a truly effective network is the one that consists of people relevant to your industry. Hence, it is very important to channel your energy and focus on people who can help you with your job search.
By following these simple, but often ignored tips, you can create a network that is reliable and relevant to your career. Furthermore, always remember, networking is a two-way street so be ready to lend a helping hand whenever you can.
Importance of networking in today’s scenario
With the entire world reeling under huge economic stress due to COVID 19, the importance of networking has become unprecedented. People are losing jobs every day and it is becoming increasingly difficult to land new jobs. Under such a scenario, having a strong, dependable career network is a great way to land new opportunities or ensure that you keep your job safe.