Career networking is much more than meeting people, exchanging business cards and engaging in social pleasantries. In a business environment, you need to network with a purpose. In a career vein, that purpose is to introduce yourself and build a network circle of colleagues, business leaders and key contacts.
Business networking is not about making friends but rather gain valuable contacts to help you get a job now or down the road. You must be serious if you are going to be successful. This does not mean you need to be hostile or rude or short. It does mean you must be focused with a plan when you go networking events to make good strong contacts.
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To be effective, you must first employ a properly designed and executed networking introduction. Your introduction should be not more than one to two minutes long and feature the following:
- Some type of greeting
- Your name
- Your title
- A brief description of your background
- A question that engages the listener
As an example, here is my networking introduction:
"Hi, I'm Rusty D'Aversa, owner of Skyrocket Selling. I work with entrepreneurs and businesses to double their sales. And you are?"
I recommend you write down your introduction, practice it with family, friends, or business associates, or just record and play it back to yourself. I've even devised a Networking Introduction Worksheet that you can use to get the introduction started.
Networking Introduction Worksheet
Greeting: _________________________________
Your Name: _______________________________
Title: ____________________________________
Career Background/Current Role(s): ___________
________________________________________
________________________________________
Question: ________________________________
Put it All Together Here: ______________
_________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
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In addition to working conferences and events, networking groups are popping up like mushrooms. You will find that some groups will be a complete waste of your time. Targeted networking means you are focusing on specific groups that deal with your specific market and career aspiration.
You need to determine what businesses may have IT opportunities and tech organizations that would be a good fit for your skill set—this is your target market. The more precise you can be with your target market the accurate you can be when choosing networking groups.
Do not waste your time with "cake and coffee" networking groups. You may have to attend several meetings of various different organizations to see which ones are right for you. Even if a group turns out not to be right for you it is still a good opportunity to practice your networking introduction.
Before you sign up for any networking opportunity, make sure you can dress the part. You are a professional and want to conduct business like a professional so you must dress like a professional. First appearances count in the business world. If you are perceived as not being a professional you will be treated the same, both you and skills will not be taken seriously.
You want to look and act like someone people "want" to work with. You want to attract the right type of attention so people want to hear more about your background and skills.
Keep in mind that networking is not a random event. It must be carefully planned and that plan should be acted upon in a precise manner. You should have quality business cards with you at all times, as you never know who you might meet and where you might meet them.
Gone are the days of searching for bits of paper to write your name and phone number. You are a networking professional, so you need to act like one. Make sure you have all of your contact information on your card. Name, mailing address, phone and email address, in a clean, easy to read manner. Make it easy for people to find you and contact you in any manner they choose. Some people may want to send you an email versus calling you or visa-a-versa.
Write notes on the back of the other person's card when collecting business cards. This will demonstrate to the other person you take your conversation seriously and will also act as a memory jogger when you contact them in the future. This is also a good time to ask two to three qualifying questions. You want to have qualified contacts in your pocket not just a fist full of business cards that go nowhere and waste you time.
This may sound a little strange, but it's also good to bring your own name badge. Make your name and your message easy to read so people know who you are and what you are have to offer. The biggest challenge I find when attending networking events is that most of the time people names are difficult to read on those sticky name badges.
At the event be choosy about who you reach out to and how much time you spend talking to those who reach out to you. You are there to speak to your target audience. It is a complete waste of your time to speak to some one is not interested in your skills. It can be very frustrating networking a large event and all the people you are speaking with are not your target audience. By you having a prepared name badge with a very brief marketing message it tells people who you are and what you do very quickly. Think of your name badge as a "mini billboard" advertising your skills.
Yet, you want to meet as many new people as possible. Walk up to people and introduce yourself. There is no need to be shy, just be your self. When "working the room" try not to spend more then 10 minutes with any one person, unless it's a real hot job opportunity prospect. You will walk out of that networking event with a pocketful of strong qualified leads - which will lead to more career offerings.
It's high unlikely you will be getting any invites for interviews during business networking. The goal of networking is get as many qualified contacts as you can. It better to get five very qualified contacts then 20 weak or useless names.
What you also need to have in your networking "tool box" is at least three, and no more than five, strong qualifying questions.
The following are some sample qualifying questions:
Who does the hiring for the IT organization?
Is the company hiring currently and in what areas?
Make the appropriate adjustments questions based on the industry.
If the answer to many of these questions is "I don't know" it's highly unlikely you have a qualified lead. Place this person's card on the bottom of your deck and move on to the next person. You are there to "work the room" as quickly and efficiently as possible to get as many qualified leads as you can.
When networking you are always looking to harvest and cultivate relationships. Be they professional or personal, you are a professional and in being so you know and understand the importance of both types in your life. No one becomes successful alone. So constantly be on the look for good solid relationships.
After you've made some good contacts, the next step is following up on that initial meeting. If it's a job opportunity, or just getting an informational interview set up, you want to get an appointment with that qualified contact you met at the event.
Remember, networking is skill. Master that skill, and your introductions to people will be very productive. Your time is valuable. Make the most of your networking opportunities and your career will benefit.
Oreste "Rusty" D'Aversa has more than 20 years experience in: sales, sales management, software, technology, professional services, support, training, customer service and public speaking. He has managed, trained and mentored sales teams generating millions of dollars in revenue.
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