Meaningful Networking
As I was starting out my career, I was sure that networking meant going to big meetups and suffering through small-talk, boring conversations with people I’ll never meet again. As an introvert, I concluded it wasn’t for me. However, networking is not a personality-driven skill - it can work for everyone, you just need to find your own unique way of connecting with others.
Making those connections and creating a community that values you professionally is a long-term process; thinking about it transactionally is a disservice to you and to your network. You’re building and maintaining relationships; the goal is for these relationships to be deep and valuable for both sides.
Reframing Networking
Networking can be:
- Keeping in touch with past colleagues
- Scheduling informational interviews with folks
- Helping out with different tasks, brainstorming and knowledge sharing
- Introducing people to other people with similar interests
Networking doesn’t have to be:
- Going to big meetups in which you don’t know anyone
- Reaching out to people you don’t know just because they might be hiring
- Sending a LinkedIn connection to a bunch of strangers
- Engaging with social media content just for engagement’s sake
How To Network in a Meaningful Way
Keeping in Touch
This doesn’t come easy to everyone, and that’s OK. Some folks manage a private CRM for themselves. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy - just some details about the professional relationship you have, their current role, and the last time you spoke. For each contact, decide on an appropriate cadence and stick with it. Having such a system will help you not only keep track of the different individuals you’ve met, but also for you to show up at the right moments.
Informational Interviews
Having a generic ‘virtual cup of coffee’ is great, but showing up intentionally to those conversations will get you to the heart of the conversation you really want to have. Ask the other person about their day-to-day work life, what they love and hate about their job, and what challenges and wins they’ve faced recently. You’ll learn a lot, you’ll both enjoy the conversation and your relationship is now at a higher professional level. Any time is a good time for such an informational interview - you can invest in those during a job search, but I’d also suggest doing them on a regular cadence to stay current.
Help Out
Continuing down the line of the ‘networking is for job searching’ misconception, there’s also this assumption that you need person A, and they don’t need you. While it is very possible that person A is busy with their work and life, rather than ‘asking them to spare a minute of their time’, try to ask yourself - how can I help person A? Offer to help organize an event, share a useful article, or even just send a meme that made you think of them. Remember - this is a relationship and you’re here for each other; no matter the years of experience or titles, you both have a lot to offer.