Never Underestimate the Importance of Networking
Friday, April 13, 2018
Blog
Networking
Networking tips from First Achieve
They say in life that it’s a question of not what you know, but who you know.
That maxim is also true in the jobs market and if you are out there looking for your dream job at the moment, it would certainly help if you had a connection within that company. That sounds logical in itself, but it is also backed up by stats and your chances of getting a job are around 5% better if you are referred by a current employee with that firm.
That may not seem like such a big percentage, but when you think of it another way, that’s one job in every 20 going to individuals who otherwise wouldn’t had received a job were it not for that prior connection. It is with this in mind that we take a look at the oft-maligned ‘networking’.
Networking is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. For those who are naturally quite shy, or those who have never attended an event before, it can be a very daunting task, but luckily we’ve come up with some top tips to help you cruise through.
- Smile
This might seem like an incredibly simple thing (and you may not feel like doing it after a long day) but try giving a smile when you arrive at the event and go to approach people. Other attendees will feel a lot more at ease approaching you and a friendly, open manner will help you on your way to making some connections.
- Arrive Five Minutes Early (or at least on time!)
When heading to these events, the temptation is always there to slip in a couple of minutes late when the room is full and you will be more conspicuous. That said and however counter-intuitive it may seem, it is actually better and easier to arrive early. There you can take advantage of the quieter and calmer atmosphere to strike up a conversation before people have had the chance to break up into little groups which can be daunting to join.
- Keep In Touch
It is vital that you keep in touch with people after the event to secure that relationship. Follow up with an email or a message on LinkedIn and reference the conversation you had to cement your place in their memory. You may well feel as though once the event has finished, that’s your networking done as well, however, nothing could be further from the truth as networking is just the start.
So with those three tips in mind, you can head to your next networking event full of confidence and you could certainly get more out of it than you think. Be positive and you never know where a conversation may lead.