From the course: The Ultimate Guide to Professional Networking

How to network for you and not just your employer

From the course: The Ultimate Guide to Professional Networking

How to network for you and not just your employer

- Networking has a built in selfishness that's strangely win-win for employees and employers alike. I'll explain. In some professions, it can be hard to find ways to network because you might be on the clock so to speak where your employer would rather have you working harder at the office rather than out pursuing networking opportunities. That means you have to network on your own time and you might even get some pushback from your work family. You may be rubbing up against a certain work culture that does not encourage networking, but here's my advice, do it anyhow. Here's the cool part. When you network for yourself, selfishly building a clan of mentors, colleagues, customers, vendors, and other contacts. You own that network. This is more important than you might realize. It's like money in your bank account, but guess what? Your boss gets the benefit as well. For instance, if you're a young lawyer, the firm may want you slaving away billing 2000 hours per year or more, they may not encourage the networking, but if you start bringing in new clients because if you newly developed connections, well they'll change their tune soon enough. Not only that, but you'll have a newfound power to climb the ladder at the firm, or you'll be able to use those relationships eventually to build your own practice. Here are the three ways to build your network while employed at your job. First, brainstorm some creative ways to get outside of your work bubble when you can. Second, schedule a network outing at least once every month and mix it up. Don't go to just one group, find a new event each month and look for those parallel opportunities, perpendicular intersections, and unconventional ways to connect with people. Next, when a connection is good for your employer, then leverage that for your boss. You may just find yourself rising in the ranks as a result, even without schmoozing people in your own organization. Finally, do all this with real intent. Make it count as if you're building something that you want to last. A real network of relationships with people across a variety of backgrounds. Think of it the same way you would think about building a bank account, because that's exactly what you're doing.

Contents