How to Network Like a Professional Networking skills are some of the most important skills you can learn as a student. Your ability to meet new people, engage them, ask questions, get answers and build a network will always give you positive results. Sometimes the desired result might be a new job, sometimes it might be gaining information about a new career, or it might be related to sales or marketing. It could also be as simple as wanting to expand your social circle. The truth of the matter is that people make our world go round, and knowing how to work with them will make a huge difference in your life. And how do you begin to Network? You learn the skills of talking to anyone. Practice these skills whenever you meet new people and soon you’ll have a contact list that’s longer than you ever thought possible. Without further ado, here are the four things you need to remember in order to be able to talk to anyone: 1. Ask questions, but not more than two in a row. Becoming genuinely interested in other people is the absolute best way to get results from your networking efforts. How do you become interested in other people? You ask them questions. It really is that simple. Where are you from? What was that like? Do you have family in the area? It’s easy to come up with questions to ask. The key here, is to ask questions that will direct the conversation in a direction that you’d enjoy. If you like sports, ask a question about sports. If you like music, ask the person if they’ve been listening to anything interesting lately. These rules can apply to career-related conversations just as much as personal conversations. What do you find interesting about your chosen field? The only caveat is that asking too many questions in a row can lead to a conversation feeling like an interview, which is not desired. Your goal is to build a connection, not extract information. For that reason, try to only ask two questions in a row. If you’ve asked two, break it up by offering a comment, an opinion or some feedback. 2. Offer personal information, but not too much. We are all human, and when you offer some personal information, you are providing something for the other person to connect with. Hopefully, they will either sympathize or empathize with your situation, which will mean they are more interested in you as a person. Because of that, don’t be afraid to offer some personal information. The key here is not to offer too much, or anything too personal. For example, talking to a classmate about your hometown might be a good decision, whereas telling someone you’ve just met about how your last relationship ended might be a little too much. 3. Stand up straight, but don’t become overbearing. Everyone respects confidence and one way to portray yourself as a confident person is to sit or stand-up straight. It’s simple to achieve this – just straighten your back. That’s it! Doing so will instantly make you appear more confident, which studies have shown will make people think you more intelligent, trustworthy and capable. The potential downside is becoming too overbearing or competitive in social situations. Simply keep in mind that body language can be a powerful thing and if you feel that you are becoming too “strong” in a social situation, relax a little. 4. Get contact details, but not too soon. Networking is about making connections and building your contact list. The only way you can actually do that is by getting the contact details of the people you’re talking to. This is actually far simpler than most people believe it might be. Simply say the words “Do you mind if I get your contact details?” They might have a card with information, or they might relay an email address, or a phone number. Then don’t forget to follow up with them! Of course, the caveat with this tip is to make sure you’ve built some kind of a connection before you ask for details. Too early in the conversation can make it seem like you’re just collecting numbers. Good luck in your networking efforts!
Posted on: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 00:18:54 +0000
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