From the course: The Ultimate Guide to Professional Networking

Avoid pitfalls

- Networking for yourself while you have a job requires that you walk a fine line between ethical considerations and your own self interest. I'm obviously recommending that you network while you're employed, because it can help you personally, and it will serve tremendously in any of your future endeavors. But just know that it can also be hazardous if you get greedy. Fortunately, your own interests and the interests of your company are not mutually exclusive here. You can do this with integrity, benefit your boss and build your war chest of contacts that will outlast your job, but you aren't going to have a good result if you try to take everything for yourself. Here are three no-nos of networking while you have a job. First, do not get caught trying to move laterally with clients or vendors of your employer. You could do real damage to reputation and career this way. It's simply not worth it. Second, don't try to get business for yourself in a side venture. I'm not saying never have as I'd venture, but if you secure it while networking on the company's dime that could backfire on you irreparably. Finally, don't tell your employers contacts that you're leaving and you want to take them with you to another company or start your own firm. It's not ethical, it will not only burn the bridges with your current employer, but you now have revealed yourself to the new company as someone willing to do this to them at some point. You can network selfishly and still be honorable. If you plan to leave your company someday, then what you really want from this client relationship is true connection. You want to build trust so that these people remember you fondly later. If you spend years building trust and showing competence that will serve you infinitely better than scheming about how you can poach a customer if you change companies. That's dodgy, and you'll lose respect on all sides if you take this route. The same goes for starting your own venture based on networking nefariously behind your company's back. Always keep the highest ethics in mind when you network and enjoy the win-win results all around.

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