Networking properly can make, or break, your career. Everyone tries to do it, but not many do it the right way. There are certain typical mistakes that professionals make while networking. Here are some of these mistakes:
You’re obviously networking because you want something for yourself which could be a job, a referral or a client. However, the most successful networkers are those who primarily make it about the other person rather than themselves. In fact, never bring up what you want in the very first meeting. The goal is to establish a mutually-beneficial relationship where everyone is a winner.
Networking is a great way to make contacts – but only if you make them strategically. There’s no point in distributing your business card to all and sundry. Make your list of contacts small but useful. Have you heard of the Pareto principle wherein 80% of the results come from 20% of the efforts? The same principle can be applied to your networking contacts. Having a smaller – but well-thought-out – list of contacts makes it easier for you to maintain meaningful relationships.
Online tools are there so that you can connect with the contact you made through networking at a later stage. However, it doesn’t make sense to simply add these people on social media and then do nothing. Bayt.com offers great tools such as Bayt.com People and Bayt.com Specialties through which you can make contacts and network effectively. In fact, 81% of professionals in the MENA agree that online platforms prove to be a good way for employers and job seekers to engage together in industry-related comments, discussions and questions, as stated in the Bayt.com ‘Social Recruiting in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll, October 2014.
While networking can have profound effects on your career, you must be patient to get the required results. For example, if you’re pitching a high order sales pitch to a client, you can’t expect results the very next day. You have to keep in touch with the client and always be weary of over-stepping any boundaries.
While all of us would like to be friends with the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, setting high expectations for yourself when it comes to networking will only make it worse. Aim to make the right contacts first who can then refer you to more relevant and higher-ranked contacts, and so forth.
