While many immediately think of swapping business cards at career fairs or other networking events, the most successful networking goes much deeper than the act of making an introduction. Effective networking involves cultivating professional relationships that are founded on respect, trust, and value. Networking etiquette serves as a guide, helping professionals forge new connections that can ultimately help them further their professional careers.
Create a Positive First Impression
Your first interaction matters a lot. Whether speaking to a potential mentor, client, employer, or business partner, you make a first impression. When you introduce yourself, listen attentively, and communicate respect, you lay the groundwork for a relationship based on credibility and trust. Small gestures like maintaining eye contact, remembering names, and expressing interest in the other person’s perspective help you keep people engaged, and in a positive way.
It’s About Relationships, Not Business Transactions
Networking can help your career by expanding your professional connections, but it’s not really about building a big network full of contacts that you only use for specific, individual needs and goals. Networking is really about getting to know and understanding others and their business and their career interests, and then nurturing those relationships over time.
Focus on Listening
Networking involves listening more than speaking, and by showing interest in what the other person has to say you can learn a great deal. Listen carefully and ask questions that build on what has been previously said.
This allows for deeper conversations and greater opportunities for discovering areas of common ground, which can be mutually beneficial for you and the other person.
Respect Boundaries
Professional business networking can and does involve a variety of situations that can be awkward if you don’t take care, especially with regard to what people are comfortable with, and the right way to talk to a certain type of person. While your goal might be to develop a business relationship with someone, being too aggressive, interrupting others, or pushing too hard can have negative results. Instead, patience and a polite approach serve you better.
Follow Up
Networking doesn’t actually end when the networking event or conversation does. Following up with a personal touch, be it a quick note or email, helps you build and maintain a connection. You can express your pleasure at having met with a person and reiterate something of particular interest in the conversation. This serves as the perfect time to offer to connect again in person if they wish.
Virtual Networking
Networking isn’t just face to face meetings and conversations at work events or in person. Today there are many social media sites and professional online communities you can join that are designed to help you grow your professional network, as well as online meetings that mimic traditional networking events. These digital connections require similar levels of professionalism, etiquette, and courtesy. Thoughtful and respectful engagement contributes to building a solid digital identity.
Give and Take
Networking is all about give and take, so if you can find ways to support a professional network, share your knowledge, or facilitate the connections between different people you will be better served and respected in the long run. Remember that giving value comes back to you over time.
Networking is a Career Strategy
Networking is a continuous process of cultivating and nurturing relationships, something you should work at consistently over your career, and which requires your active attention at all times. Networking requires communication, consistency and commitment. In a world where the business environment and the way we work changes faster all the time, professional networking is one of the most valuable assets you can leverage to further your business and career.