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How to hack the art of networking

Career Tips
 Networking helps you better your chances of having a successful career (Photo: Courtesy)

Learning how to network comes with many benefits. The first plus is obviously expanded career opportunities but along the way you also build friendships and learn how to interact with different people on a professional level.

For many, networking like a pro doesn’t always come naturally. It takes a while before you can build and prefect those important networking skills so that you have a better chance at being successful.

There are different things you need to work on in order to be your best self and these five tips will give you a head start. Read on:

Learn how to communicate professionally

One of the main things that make networking an easy process is proper communication. You need to be fluent and professional because you’re meeting new people who are keen on what you have to say and how you say it.

Small details like over talking others and asking inappropriate questions can throw people off.

You should work on your communication skills so that you can properly interact with others around you in a professional way.

Make yourself available in online spaces

The world is shifting to a digital age faster than ever. And that means that you should be open to creating profiles on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram or any other platform that accommodates your needs so that you can expand your networking opportunities more.

Don’t just rely on meeting people physically because that can limit you.

 Learn how to talk and dress professionally (Photo: Courtesy)
Work on your wardrobe

How you dress will have a huge impact on your success. If you dress in a manner that makes people not take you seriously, it will block them from being interested in what your actual strengths are.

Whenever you’re showing up for events, dress in a way that would make people want to work with you. You should also work on presenting yourself well on social media because you never know who might come across your profiles.

Build  your self-confidence

Self-confidence is directly connected to how comfortable you are networking with different people which is why you should work on that too. You might even have the chance to meet some of the bigwigs in your industry and possibly have a life changing opportunity because of the confidence you exude.

When you’re new in the game, it can be hard for you to relax and enjoy the process. But with enough practice, you will slowly come to enjoy the journey.

Approach with humility

When it comes to networking, you should never confuse ego for confidence. Moving with an ego will have the opposite effect of what you were going for because it will look like you have a stuck-up attitude. The opposite of that is a quiet but powerful confidence. It speaks for itself and opens you up to a better experience.

An assumption about networking is that you need to always lead with what you do but that is not what it’s about. A real pro will focus the other person instead of themselves and allow connections to happen organically.

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