There’s no moving up the ladder, in any industry, without good networking skills. Here are a few tips to be at the right place at the right time to say the right things.
Don’t head home and hole up after work hours. Networking is all about meeting up with people from all works of life and forming connections.
Learn to hold your own in a conversation. It’s best to keep silent and listen when you have nothing of value to add to the conversation. Keep yourself updated with interesting topics out of work — books, entertainment, sports etc. Any meeting outside of work should remain that way. Don’t bring work into your Saturday evening party. Keep things professional but don’t bring up work unless the conversation steers that way.
Manners go a long way in establishing your personality. Especially when meeting up with new people, they observe the way you conduct yourself. Being late doesn’t help. People should believe you can be counted upon.
Be genuine. Be yourself. If you’re going to paint a different image of yourself for your work colleagues you’ll have to be that person every time you step out of your door. Look at networking as an extension of making friends. Build a rapport with the people you hang out with. Don’t force things to work in your favour. If you build the right network, things will fall into place for you as you make your way up the ladder.
