If you’ve ever gotten a job or a gig because someone “thought of you,” you’ve benefited from networking.Good networking doesn’t require anything slimy or selfish. It requires that you define yourself. And that means paying more attention to how you act when you meet or catch up with people.

Benefiting from networking

Self Improvement

If the people you know had to describe you and your deal, what would they say? What do you want them to say?Clarifying people’s impressions of you doesn’t mean being fake, it actually means being yourself&nbsp;—being the person you want to think of yourself as.&nbsp;

People's impression of you

Think about the best definition of your work, your status, and your goals. Practice it a bit, to have something to say when people ask you what you’re up to. Everyone would prefer hearing a little bit of a pitch than hearing “eh, kind of nothing, except a little of this, but it’s not important, and I don’t really know...” Give them something to hook onto, to remember, and when they next hear about a relevant idea or opportunity, to “think of you.”

Describing your work

If you've ever gotten a job or a gig because someone "thought of you," you've benefited from networking. Good networking doesn't require anything slimy or selfish. It requires that you define yourself. And that means paying more attention to how you act when you meet or catch up with people.