How to network
Networking is not just talking to strangers - it is also initiating career conversations with your existing acquaintances.
Keep these questions in mind: Can your siblings, neighbors, friends, hairdresser or other regular contacts describe your aspirations and particular expertise in one or two sentences? Can you explain theirs?
MORE IDEAS FROM THE ARTICLE
We have to get over the belief that being competent and qualified means we shouldn't need help finding a new job.
We feel this way because networking makes us feel vulnerable. We are also overconfident in a linear click-apply-send process on job sites.
Hiring managers want job candidates whom they know they can trust. That is why they prefer candidates who come through personal referrals.
Referrals have a 50 percent chance of getting an interview, while non-referrals have only a 3 percent chance. Referrals or internal candidates fill up to 80 percent of jobs.
Networking with the people you already know shouldn't be diffciut.
Be curious about their goals first. Ask, "what's one goal you have for this year?" Most people will ask you the same question in turn. The conversations can lead to brainstorming or introductions.
RELATED IDEAS
Match your gestures to your words.
We are visual creatures, and any movement used in the right way in this direction will spark the attention of your audience. Just try not to abuse this rule.
Secretly, you donât want to do it; you just think you should want to do it. You value it for the wrong reasons. If youâre only coming up with extrinsic reasons for your activity or goal, you may decide that itâs not worth pursuing.
How to outsmart it:Â Think of your intrinsic reason â the motivation behind why youâre doing what you say you want to do â like your own personal energy source.
Everyone's got a different background, everyone's got a different set of knowledge, and it's our job to explain the information in terms that they already understand.
As you start to explain, ask questions like "Is this making any sense?" And don't worry too much about whether you're telling the audience something they've already heard before.Â