Networking is a vital part of your career. It helps you meet new people within your industry who might recommend you for a job down the road. It also helps you make a name for yourself within the industry. Networking is not always an enjoyable event to say the least, but you can make it fun. Read on as we discuss some different ways for you to make networking fun so you get the most out of it.
Know What You are Selling
When you network, you are selling a product; you! You must know what it is you are selling and who you are selling it to at the moment. You cannot go blindly into a networking event without having a direction or goal in mind. Also know that you cannot sell a generic copy of your resume to those attending a networking event. Instead, it must be very focused on a handful of key jobs and excellent skills in order to get noticed.
Attend Different Events
One of the worst things you can do when networking is attend the same event with the same people. You will quickly become bored and you are not doing anything for the advancement of your career. It can become very easy to fall into a pattern or a lull because you are comfortable with the same thing, but you must avoid this at all costs. Do this by attending different networking events each year. Skip a conference one year after attending it the prior year to shake things up a little bit.
Follow Through on Promises
If you make any promises to people you meet at networking events, make sure you follow through on those promises. If you tell someone you will make a connection for them, make sure you make that connection. If you tell someone you meet at an event that you will have coffee with them in a month, contact that person and schedule that coffee date. The more promises you make and keep, the more interesting networking will be for you.
Be As Real As Possible
Make it a point to be the real you when at networking events. This will make it fun for you and you get to showcase who you really are to those you meet. It is understandable that networking seems like work, but don’t let it be work. Have some fun; smile, laugh and tell an appropriate joke every now and then to lighten the mood.
Be Memorable
When we say be memorable we don’t mean you should do something crazy at the event that get’s people talking. Instead, contact those you meet at these events every couple of months just to check in and say hi. It will keep you top-of-mind with those people.
If you do one or more of the tips outlined above, career networking should be quite fun for you.
