Put simply, networking is building relationships with peers in your profession or industry. Creating this network of like-minded professionals provides the chance to share industry-related news, events and trends, and for many people, it has the benefit of opening up new career opportunities through introductions, recommendations and referrals. In fact, since a large percentage of job openings are never publicly advertised, it’s highly valuable to have contacts within organisations you want to work for in the future, in addition to relationships with recruiters in your industry.

Once you’ve begun to build this network, the next step is developing networking strategies with contacts to grow trusted, enduring business relationships. Read on for our best advice on how to nurture your network.

1. Manage and Market Your Personal Brand

Social media platforms such as LinkedIn offer the opportunity to not only connect with like-minded individuals but also promote your professional brand. Positioning yourself as a specialist or expert within your industry can maintain and enhance your reputation with existing connections, as well as encourage them to think of you when a suitable opportunity comes up.

Tools such as LinkedIn Pulse allow you to directly publish your own content, including articles that can demonstrate your industry knowledge and thought leadership. This, in turn, can boost your credibility and establish you as a well-respected, knowledgeable member of your professional community.

You can continue to demonstrate your personal brand through other interactions with your network, from liking and sharing content to contributing relevant and meaningful comments to discussions within online forums. Don’t be afraid to express your opinion, as long as it aligns with your personal brand. For example, if you want to be known as a disruptor who challenges the norm, ask provocative questions – just keep clear of controversy to avoid alienating people in your network.

2. Give Back

Networking is a two-way interaction, so it’s important to reach out to contacts without necessarily expecting anything in return. If you focus on their needs, you will be in a position to proactively add value to your contacts, making them more genuine and beneficial connections in the long run.

For example, you could offer to mentor a more junior professional by sharing your experiences or putting them in touch with contacts who might be able to help, or you may share a useful industry update to a past colleague. Show enthusiasm for announcements and accomplishments of those in your network, demonstrating that you care about their professional success.

Likewise, find common ground with people in your network by thinking outside the workplace. Ask about people’s interests and projects away from their jobs. Remember, networking shouldn’t be seen as transactional, but an opportunity to find genuine, meaningful connections with people in your working life.

3. Aim for Quality Over Quantity

There are plenty of people on LinkedIn with 500+ connections, but how strong are those relationships in real life? It’s relatively easy to build your network, but there is little advantage if those relationships don’t lead to opportunities.

Instead, focus on developing a smaller number of authentic professional relationships by investing time in understanding what is important to your industry peers. It could be useful to make notes following meetings or online interactions so you remember key details such as upcoming events or projects, recent job changes, or names of partners and children.

4. Schedule Time for Networking

Networking can easily be pushed to the bottom of the “to do” list. Worse still, some people only network when they need something, which can be risky because it lacks authenticity and rarely leads to enduring professional relationships that are mutually beneficial. A better strategy is to schedule 15-20 minutes per week to send a few LinkedIn messages, ‘like’ and comment on people’s posts or even organise a coffee catch up with a colleague in person.

These messages or meetings don’t need to have a specific purpose other than touching base and reconnecting with someone in your industry to continue nurturing a relationship. If you’ve identified key contacts that you want to fast-track within your network, spend extra time considering content where you can be useful. Strive for more thoughtful engagement less frequently, rather than simply liking every single piece of content they share on social media.

Summary

While nurturing your professional network can take a bit of time and energy, it’s well worth the investment. You never know when this effort will be rewarded, but by building and maintaining real connections, there’s a good chance it will pave the way to new career paths in the future.

For more networking advice or support with identifying new career opportunities, talk to the Indigenous recruitment specialists at First People Recruitment Solutions.