Heading out to a networking event this week? This month? At some point in the distant future? Are you looking to brush up on your talking-to-strangers skill fast? If the answer is yes, we’ve got great news for you. The infographic below breaks down a ton of great advice into one bite-sized chart.
While we recommend taking some time to dip into our other networking articles (like this one and this one), we know you’re busy. So all we’re suggesting today is that you check out the tips below. And if any of them work for you, let us know on—where else—Twitter.
We’ve all heard the advice that networking is important for our careers. And regardless of your profession, your industry or demographic, the message is loud and clear. If you want to be successful, you need to spend time networking. It’s great advice. But the critical missing piece to this advice is exactly how to network.
There’s an old adage that if you throw spaghetti against the wall and it sticks, the pasta is done. Over the years, this phrase has evolved to mean that when you throw enough activity or ideas at a situation or problem, eventually something will stick; eventually you will find the answer. So when we’re told we need to network to help us be successful, those of us who are ambitious, tackle the problem with this approach. We throw a lot of activity at the issue and hope for the best. We go to lots of networking events and conferences, collect and hand out hundreds of business cards. We establish an online presence and build a large group of followers. Unfortunately, this doesn’t result in the type of network that supports our career advancement. It has no purpose or intention.
