If you hear the word “networking” and you immediately cringe, this is the article for you.
Building your network may have traditionally entailed wining and dining, attending awkward mixers and meetups, or blind messaging people you’ve never met on LinkedIn—only to be left unanswered.
We’ve been there.
At the same time, we hear time and time again that your network matters. Data backs this up.
Remarkably, 46% of job seekers got valuable job opportunities through friends. Also, 54% of people got jobs through referrals.
Beyond job opportunities, building your network has incredible personal and professional development benefits. In this article, we’ll explore comfortable strategies for building your network. We’ll also talk about why it might be important—and how to overcome the fear of putting yourself out there.
Why is networking important?
Before we dig into the strategies for networking, you might be wondering why bother? Why is networking worth it? What’s the point?
Well, there’s plenty of reasons to network. Here are four top compelling reasons to give your best shot at building your network.
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It can help you advance your career. You might’ve heard of the phrase: “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”
Whether we like it or not, the statement holds some truth. When your boss or leadership is looking to promote or advance people into the next role, they’re looking at people they know. If you haven’t networked enough to make a name or brand for yourself—even internally within a company—it’s likely that you’ll get passed over for career advancement opportunities. -
Networking can open up skills and professional development opportunities. We live in a world where roles and careers are more fluid and less defined than ever before. With the rise of a gig economy, it’s also lent itself to folks learning as much as they can to make themselves marketable to a broad swath of career opportunities.
You know what helps in building skills? Knowing people who can teach you. For example, a mentor might help you refine your negotiation and communication skills. An old colleague might help advise you on how to best brush up on those computer programming skills. An ex-manager at a new company might offer you a freelance opportunity with the opportunity to learn SEO.
At the foundation of all of these new skills and professional development opportunities is a strong network. -
It will boost your confidence and social skills. Regular networking helps improve communication skills, including listening, articulating ideas, and presenting oneself effectively. Interacting with a diverse group of people can boost self-confidence, especially when sharing knowledge and expertise.
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For entrepreneurs, it’s a critical skill to building your business. For anyone building a business—whether it’s a side hustle or a brick and mortar establishment—you need networking to be successful as an entrepreneur.
Not only can networking be helpful in finding clients, investors, and business partners, but it’s also a critical tool for feedback.
3 comfortable networking strategies
No matter where you fall on the comfortability spectrum, there are strategies you can use to help build your network. We’ve compiled three comfortable networking strategies that won’t make you squirm out of your desk chair.
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Remember that networking isn’t just all about you—it can be an act of service for others, too.
If you’re a person that is of the opinion that networking is self-serving, maybe it’s time to flip that on its head. One easy way to get over the idea of networking is saying yes to an invite from someone else to network with you.
In other words, answer those LinkedIn DMs and set up a time with someone who reached out to you.
Not only are you building a new connection, but you’re helping someone else in their career networking goals. You’ll never know where that connection might go and what you might learn from that person in that conversation, too. -
Look at expanding your existing network, especially internally at your organization.
Whether it’s a colleague you’ve only met in passing in the hallway or your boss’s boss that you see once a month in an all-team meeting, there’s value in meeting with people you already work with.
Think about reaching out for a coffee chat with one person internally. Perhaps you can set a feasible goal—like one coffee chat a month—to help hold yourself accountable. These can be informal, get-to-know-you chats that have no agenda or structure. Go in with a growth mindset and a willingness to learn something new about someone else. -
Approach any conference, event, or business outing as an opportunity to make a friend.
There are millions of professional development events, some that might give you more anxiety than others.
If you’re going to a conference, a happy hour, or even a customer’s business lauch party, think about shifting your mindset about how you think about networking.
In other words, don’t go into the event with a goal of making a connection. Try to simply make a friend.
This perspective shift can alleviate some of the pressure, stress, and anxiety you might feel when you think about networking. It can also allow you show up more fully as yourself and in turn, make a more genuine and authentic connection.
If you think about it, there’s just one secret to overcoming your fear of networking: it all boils down to your perspective.
No matter where you are in your networking journey, there are comfortable ways of approaching the act of building your network. Good luck out there. Meeting new people is never easy. But with the right mindset and perspective, you can start to build your network in a meaningful way.
Written by Madeline Miles