6 Professional Networking Tips For Building Connections

In today’s era, if you possess the right skills and a great network, you can conquer the world of opportunities in no time. A great network works as a bridge that helps you achieve challenging professional goals with much less struggle. But what is a network? And how to build one?

Well, a network is a chain of people you are linked with. These people primarily belong to your industry but are also from other industries that might need your skills and services. So, not only does this network help you find better work opportunities but it also gives you a space to interact with great minds at a personal and professional level. However, it is not a child’s play to build a healthy professional network. It takes time, effort, and consistency to build a strong, reliable, and long-lasting network.

1. Before Entering a Social Gathering, Read the Headline!

If you find it difficult to start conversations with new people. Then the easiest way is to stay updated on the news headline, especially pertaining to the area of expertise of the people you are meeting in a social gathering.

All you have to do is pick up a newspaper or Google top news related to the particular industry and read a little about them before entering into the social gathering.

Pro Tip: Avoid political or controversial news as it may offend some people. Begin your conversations with lighter topics of discussion and then move on to the heavy types.

You will give an impression that you care about their industry and keep a track of things happening in and around their area of expertise.

2. Be a Good Listener and Absorb Whatever the Other Person Says!

The first rule of networking is giving space to others and listening to what they have to offer. When you do that, the speakers enthusiastically share their likes, dislikes, interests, etc quite naturally.

Besides, once you have these personal stories and facts about a person, you can refer to them when you see them again. For example, if a person says that he/she is planning a solo trip to a dream destination the following month, then whenever you meet them again, ask them about their trip. This makes the person feel special as you remembered about their “dream trip” and they’ll have plenty of stories to share with you.

3. Ask Smart Questions

Whether you interact with people online or face-to-face, make sure you ask smart questions, particularly about people’s professions. Never ask questions about job efforts, salary, etc right in the first meeting. Besides, never pass opinions in terms of questions as they always come out as offensive. For example, if you ask a content writer “It must be an easy job for you to sit at home and send write-ups daily. Isn’t it?” 
Questions such as this are a big turn-off.

Pro Tip: Be considerate before throwing questions at new people. Keep them topic/space centric and professional as much as possible.

4. Use Your Smile Judiciously

Your smile is your best friend when it comes to networking. Whenever you meet someone, greet them with a loving smile as if that smile was specially made for their honor. Especially when you are greeting many people, make sure you greet all of them with an appropriate change in smile. Keeping one smile for all will make it look like a farce and take away all the charm.

Pro Tip: Practice smiling in front of a mirror and try to mold it for your benefit. A too smiley face loses its authoritative stance.

5. Experiment With Different Art/Crafts/Sports/Books To Hold Their Attention

No social gathering or conversation stays within the walls of professional talk. It is always a blend of personal interests and hobbies. Therefore, when you talk to people it is best to know a little about varied hobbies. You can start by either reading about it or for a more authentic experience take a couple of classes to develop a better understanding of that hobby. All sports/crafts/books have certain jargon that can only be understood by their community/followers. To network with people, you need to get hold of the jargon related to their particular interests and hobbies.

Pro Tip: If you cannot make time to get first-hand experience of these interests and hobbies, you can always call a friend in your network who has a particular hobby and ask about some jargon and their meanings to grab the attention of people in the social gathering.

6. Enter the Hall With a Mindset of Learning Something New

Nervousness comes naturally to humans when they enter a new space, whether online or offline. However, by entering new spaces with a learning mindset reduces anxiety and encourages you to take part in conversations. Whatever the case might be, engage with people with full authenticity and say clearly when you don’t know something. Ask and learn.

The above tips might sound simple to you, however, it takes practice and consistency to ace these tips and tricks. You can use these when you are trying to network with people on social media as well as in offline social gatherings.