How to build a professional network for career development

June 26, 2024

The changing job market requires professionals to be adaptable and continuously learn new skills to stay competitive.

Networking can help navigate this dynamic landscape by providing access to job opportunities, industry insights, and mentorship.

In this article, we cover:

What is networking?

All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.
- Bob Burg

Networking is not just a single action but a process involving multiple elements working together. It's not primarily about making sales; selling may naturally follow from successful networking efforts.

When you network, you're part of a larger team where everyone plays a valuable role. Your network comprises the people you've connected with through work and personal interactions. Building strong relationships is at the core of networking because these connections often lead to valuable referrals. Behind every referral is someone who vouches for your credibility, building trust in your abilities.

Professional networking goes beyond collecting business cards; it fosters genuine connections and creates a mutually beneficial ecosystem. A strong network is invaluable for established professionals, offering many benefits beyond job hunting, such as access to industry insights, mentorship, and career advancement opportunities.

How to build a professional network

Identify your goals

Defining your career aspirations and areas of interest is crucial to building a robust professional network. You can tailor your networking strategy to align with your career objectives by identifying your goals.

For example, if you're interested in shifting industries or pursuing leadership roles, you can focus on connecting with professionals in those fields. This approach ensures that your networking efforts are focused and effective, helping you build a network that supports your career goals.

Leverage existing connections

Reconnecting with former colleagues, classmates, and professional acquaintances is an excellent way to expand your network. These individuals already know you and your work, making it easier to establish a connection.

Additionally, seeking introductions from senior leaders or mentors within your current company can help you connect with influential individuals in your field. These connections can provide valuable insights, mentorship, and opportunities for career advancement.

Informational interviews

Informational interviews offer a wealth of industry insights and networking opportunities. Start by contacting professionals in your interest and expressing your desire to learn from their experiences.

Prepare thoughtful questions to guide the conversation, listen actively, and express gratitude for their time. Keep in touch with interviewees to maintain connections and share updates on your progress. These interviews are valuable resources for exploring career paths and expanding your professional network.

Expanding your network reach

Participate in industry events

Attending conferences, workshops, and industry gatherings relevant to your field can provide high-quality networking opportunities.

These events offer a chance to meet like-minded professionals, learn about the latest industry trends, and establish yourself as a thought leader. Focus on events that provide targeted networking opportunities, such as roundtable discussions, workshops, or networking receptions.

This approach ensures that your networking efforts are focused and effective, helping you build a network that supports your career goals.

Engage with professional organisations

Joining industry associations, alumni networks, or leadership councils can help you increase your visibility and connect with like-minded professionals.

Participating in committees or volunteering for leadership roles can further enhance your networking efforts. These opportunities allow you to demonstrate your expertise, build your brand, and establish yourself as a leader in your field.

Cultivate an online presence

Optimising your LinkedIn profile with relevant keywords and accomplishments can help you establish a professional image and attract potential connections.

Sharing thought leadership content and engaging in industry discussions online can also help you build your brand and establish yourself as an expert.

Building a solid online presence can help you expand your network reach, connect with like-minded professionals, and establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry.

Second, participation fosters professional growth by granting access to valuable resources and opportunities. Engaging in online communities like industry forums, Slack groups, and niche social media groups can provide access to a pool of individuals with common interests, facilitating meaningful connections.

Thirdly, it allows individuals to showcase their expertise, amplify their brand, and expand their horizons by connecting with diverse people. Additionally, active involvement helps individuals stay current with industry trends, fostering personal growth and career advancement.

Lastly, online communities enable building lasting relationships and friendships, enhancing networking experiences.

The art of effective networking

Make meaningful connections

Networking has its rules, mainly centred around being a connector. A connector is someone others turn to for help. Networking isn't about you but the value your connections can offer.

Focusing on helping others deepens relationships and creates goodwill. Networking is about who your connections know and the potential value they bring. Keep in mind that different industries have different norms. Observing interactions at events can help tailor your approach. Being too aggressive can deter people, so adapt your tone to suit the industry's nature.

Research individuals beforehand and find common ground for conversation. Focus on building genuine relationships and offering value to your connections. By prioritising quality over quantity, you can create a network that supports your career goals and offers long-term benefits.

Be a master communicator

Honing your elevator pitch to articulate your career goals and expertise succinctly is essential for effective networking. Practice active listening and ask insightful questions to demonstrate a genuine interest in your connections. By being a master communicator, you can establish a solid first impression, build rapport, and establish a connection that supports your career goals.

Here are ten questions you could ask that demonstrate genuine interest and curiosity and get a conversation started and going:

What got you interested in your line of work?
Could you tell me about a moment in your career that stood out?
What's the best part of what you do?
How do you see our industry changing soon?
Have you ever faced a tough challenge at work that you overcame?
Any good reads or resources that have inspired your approach to your job?
If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting in our field, what would it be?
Is anything exciting happening in your projects lately?
How do you balance your job and personal life?
What networking tips do you swear by for making meaningful connections?

Body language is universal

Body language is aessential aspect to effective communication during networking events. Positive body language can convey confidence, engagement, and interest. It can also help establish a connection with the other person, making the conversation more enjoyable and productive. On the other hand, negative body language can convey disinterest, discomfort, or lack of confidence.

Here are 10 steps to being aware of your body language and consciously displaying positive body language during networking events:

Maintain eye contact with the person you're speaking to. This shows attentiveness and confidence.
Wear a genuine smile to convey warmth and approachability. It helps in creating a positive atmosphere during conversations.
Use non-verbal cues such as nodding to show you're actively listening and engaged. It encourages others to continue sharing.
Keep your body language open by avoiding crossing your arms, which can signal defensiveness or disinterest.
Minimise fidgeting or restless movements. This conveys nervousness or lack of confidence. Instead, try to maintain a relaxed posture.
Subtly mirror the body language of the person you speak to to establish rapport and build a connection.
Respect personal space boundaries and avoid standing too close, as it can make others uncomfortable.
Use appropriate hand gestures to emphasise points or express enthusiasm, but avoid excessive or distracting movements.
Before attending networking events, practice your body language to become more aware of your non-verbal cues.
Ask for feedback from trusted individuals on your body language to identify areas for improvement.

Approach people

Networking can be daunting, but the right approach is a valuable tool for building meaningful connections and advancing professionally.

Here are actionable steps to help overcome fears, focus on helping others, and cultivate authentic interactions, ensuring that each conversation is a mutually beneficial exchange:

Acknowledge any fear of talking to new people, but don't let it control you. Remember that each conversation is an opportunity to help someone in ways they may not even realise they need.
Approach conversations with courage, focusing on how you can assist the other person rather than your fears or desires.
Avoid desperation by genuinely focusing on the needs of others. This will shift the conversation away from what you can gain and how you can contribute.
Engage fully in conversations by actively listening, nodding, agreeing, commenting, and asking thoughtful questions. This demonstrates your interest and investment in the interaction.
Do not dominate conversations with stories about yourself. Instead, maintain a balanced dialogue in which both parties have an opportunity to contribute.
Be genuine and authentic in all interactions. Authenticity fosters trust and attracts others to you, leading to meaningful connections.
Maintain consistency in your behaviour and interactions. People appreciate knowing what to expect from you, which builds trust and reliability over time.

Tell your story

Storytelling is a powerful tool in networking. It can help create a personal connection with others, establish credibility, and make a memorable impression.

Individuals can showcase their skills, values, and achievements by crafting compelling narratives about their career journey.

Here are some actionable steps towards great storytelling with networking in mind:

Tailor your story to resonate with your audience's interests, values, and needs.
Share genuine experiences and emotions to establish credibility and build trust.
Focus on the key aspects of your career journey, highlighting relevant skills, values, and achievements.
Use vivid details and compelling anecdotes to make your story memorable and engaging.
Rehearse your story to ensure clarity, coherence, and confidence in delivery.
After sharing your story, follow up with a clear purpose, whether seeking further discussion, collaboration, or referrals.

The power of follow-up

A study by LinkedIn found that connecting on LinkedIn and sending personalised follow-up emails within 24-48 hours can help you maintain the momentum of your initial connection.

Briefly recap your conversation and offer to connect them with relevant resources. Following up after a networking event is essential for building long-term relationships and establishing yourself as a valuable connection.

Nurturing your network for long-term success

Become a resource

Offer your expertise and knowledge to support your network members. Recommend them for opportunities or make relevant introductions. By becoming a resource for your connections, you can build long-term relationships, establish trust, and establish yourself as a valuable connection.

Maintain regular engagement

Stay connected by sharing industry updates and congratulating them on their achievements. Schedule periodic coffee chats or virtual meetings to maintain relationships and demonstrate your commitment to building a solid network. By maintaining regular engagement, you can build long-term relationships, establish trust, and establish yourself as a valuable connection.

Reciprocity is key

Networking is a two-way street. Be genuinely helpful and supportive to build trust and long-term connections. By practising reciprocity, you can establish a mutually beneficial relationship that supports your career goals and offers long-term benefits.

Competition can be healthy

When faced with competition in a networking setting, consider this scenario:

You're one of several fishbowl salespeople at an event with 1000 attendees. Being yourself naturally attracts those with whom you share a connection or interest. It's essential to recognise that there's enough opportunity for everyone present.

Rather than pursuing every potential lead, focus on those who resonate with you. Look for individuals who could become long-term partners, providing ongoing business beyond just one transaction.

Ask yourself: Do I genuinely enjoy this person's company? Could we see ourselves collaborating for years to come?

Networking is a marathon, not a sprint. For sustained success, prioritise building relationships based on mutual trust and compatibility.

Where to find people to network with

Finding people to network with is simpler than you might think – they're everywhere! Here’s how:

Begin engaging with those closest to you, such as friends and family.
Practice delivering a concise elevator pitch highlighting your interests without dominating the conversation. Instead, focus on learning about others by asking genuine questions and showing interest in their experiences.
Use everyday situations, like waiting in line at the bank or chatting with fellow gym-goers, to practice your networking skills.
Consider joining community associations, Chambers of Commerce, or trade organisations and attend trade shows to connect with like-minded individuals.
Remember to be approachable, friendly, and genuinely interested in others beyond what they can offer you. As you engage with more people, networking becomes more natural and enjoyable.

Three questions to ask every person to guarantee a follow-up meeting post-networking

Towards the end of a conversation, once you have all the information you can get about someone, ask the following questions:

Are you looking for new clients/prospects at this time?
What sets you apart from your competition?
What does your ideal client look like?

If this is the case, let them know you have some people who could use their services or need their help.

Ask if they might be interested in getting their details. If it’s a yes, arrange a meeting time and follow through on your promise to help. When you show up for your meeting, pass on that referral or the name of a great contact to them.

Doing so creates trust and a relationship, proving that you can and will help when you can. This makes them want to do the same for the other person, and you are now truly part of their network.

Grow your career with Airswift

85% of all jobs are filled through networking, highlighting its importance in landing jobs.

A strategic professional network is crucial for career advancement, providing access to opportunities, mentorship, and industry insights.

However, building and maintaining a solid network can be challenging, with time management and introversion being common obstacles. To overcome these challenges, prioritise networking activities that align with your career goals, leverage existing connections, and allocate time for networking activities.

Whether you're looking to advance your career, explore new opportunities, or stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends, Airswift has the expertise and resources to help you succeed. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can support your professional growth.

Source: https://www.airswift.com/blog/professional-networking

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8 lessons you can learn from business leaders

July 1, 2024

Lessons learned in business introduction Whether you’re a junior member of the team or at management level, a continual learning attitude and understating business lessons is key to career success. If you want to fast-track your progress up the career ladder, it’s important to look to your true business leaders and learn from their actions. Not only will this encourage you to carry yourself like a workplace leader, but it will also highlight differences between good and bad management . This is especially important when one wants to see great success in business. Although businesses fail, being equipped with the write business lessons can avoid risk and increase the likelihood of success. Here are eight key biggest lessons to learn from business leaders. 1. How to motivate people Watching your leaders, or considering past experiences with your manager, can give you great insights into the right things to say and do to motivate colleagues or direct reports. You can learn life lessons they've learned in business and understand how to avoid bad habits in the long run to maximize the success for any company. What’s important to remember is that every person is different with different core values and a sense of their own path – and their motivational drivers can change from week to week, depending on workload levels. While one person might benefit from tough love, others may require a gentler approach. Great leaders take the time to get to know their team members’ personalities and motivators, and how they each react to different communication styles. Motivating people is a key skill for any successful business leader to succeed. One of the life lessons we can learn from business leaders is the importance of creating a strong culture that fosters a sense of purpose, passion, belonging, and accountability. By aligning employees' goals and values with the company's mission, leaders can inspire them to take ownership of their work and strive for excellence. In addition, effective leaders recognize the power of recognition and rewards, which can help to incentivize and motivate employees to achieve their goals. By cultivating a culture of positivity and growth, business leaders can build a motivated and engaged workforce that drives innovation and success. Although there are many life lessons learned in business, another important life lesson we can learn from business leaders is the value of stepping out of one's comfort zone to achieve success. Leaders recognize that complacency can be a major obstacle to growth, and they encourage their teams to take risks and embrace change. By fostering a culture of experimentation and learning, business leaders can help their employees overcome fear of failure and develop resilience. This not only motivates employees to push themselves to new heights, but it also enables the organization to innovate and stay ahead of the competition. Thus, business leaders understand that by creating a culture that encourages stepping outside of one's comfort zone, they can create a motivated and dynamic workforce that is poised for success. 2. How to nail your organisational skills Organisational skills are critical for most roles, and it’s important to learn what works for you from the outset so you can be as productive as possible. Business leaders – often the busiest or having the fullest plate compared to most staff members – will have many techniques about how to remain organised. Not all of these will work for you as we all have different styles of working. But having conversations with your manager and other leaders about how they stay organised – on a day-to-day level and when work gets incredibly busy – can quickly teach you about which approaches you’d like to try out and assess if they helped you stick to schedule. RELATED: What are soft skills? 3. How to have difficult conversations Most people don’t enjoy having difficult conversations at work and find the situation awkward. However, these are unavoidable for managers, and it’s crucial to know how to approach these conversations delicately. Good business leaders take a diplomatic approach to difficult conversations and allow the individual to have their say. Talking through problems rather than dictating a change is more productive and will allow you to build better rapport with your team members. 4. How to say ‘no’ tactfully Business leaders often negotiate with partners, clients, and third-party providers – it comes with the territory. At times, this means having to say ‘no’ to requests. Good leaders know how to approach these situations in a way that doesn’t cause upset or worse, ruin relationships. This is especially significant when your a business owner. For instance, rather than saying, “We can’t do this for you”, they might say, “We will review our current workloads and priorities and come back to you next week with a proposal to move this forward”. When it's your own business saying no and managing expectations are important lessons learned and often come naturally as you progress through your own personal development. RELATED: How a leader can gain better engagement with their team 5. How to embrace change Any workplace-related change can be unnerving, particularly when it’s significant. But the responsibility falls on the leader to guide their team through any changes, whilst boosting productivity and ensuring everyone feels comfortable within their role. A great leader will welcome times of change as an opportunity and provide the groundwork for their team members to be creative, innovative and resilient. These are business lessons learned over time. It's also important to stay up to date with business news, customer insights 6. How to accept criticism Criticism can be difficult to hear, even when it is constructive. Business leaders often receive the most criticism at work because they’re ultimately accountable and responsible for the business performance and the performance of their team. But a great leader knows how to accept feedback, learn from their mistakes, and use the experience to their advantage for a successful outcome next time. 7. How to treat people as individuals Individual differences – and therefore experiences and insights – are what drive businesses forward to develop innovative new idea. The most effective workplace leaders embrace, and are highly considerate of, their employees’ unique personalities and working styles. If you can learn how to do this as a manager, you’ll be rewarded with a team that’s motivated, feel comfortable sharing their input, and is committed to success. 8. How to be empathetic Empathy is grounded in understanding rather than judgement, and it’s a trait shared by some of the most successful business leaders. In fact, studies have shown that empathetic leaders are rewarded with higher-performing teams, better quality work output and more loyal team members. Empathy is ultimately the ability to understand others’ emotions, so as you progress in your career and work with all sorts of people, you’ll need to continually develop this important interpersonal skill just like any other skill you learn and get better at on the job. Applying empathy to employees, as well as customers problems will take you far. Source: https://www.pagepersonnel.com.au/advice/career-and-management/career-progression/8-lessons-you-can-learn-from-business-leaders

Upskilling 101: Transforming Employee Potential Into Performance

June 24, 2024

If you’re considering introducing upskilling as a tactic within your business but aren’t quite sure if it’s worth the investment, we’re not here to just tell you why it is — we want to show you. Come along as we explore the fundamentals of upskilling, the myriad benefits it offers to both employees and businesses, and actionable upskilling tricks designed to maximize employee performance. Understanding Upskilling in the Workplace Upskilling is the process of training employees on new knowledge, skills, or competencies. Usually, upskilling focuses on learning and development strategies that improve specific job-related proficiencies. The goal is to enhance worker capabilities, which build their expertise, effectiveness, and flexibility — which makes it a powerful tool for staying abreast of industry trends, and adapting to evolving technologies and market demands. That said, let’s dive deeper into more of the benefits of this training tactic. Why Bother with Upskilling? We mentioned how upskilling is critical for growing the flexibility of your team, which matters as consumer demands, economic developments, groundbreaking technologies, and other changes transform the business landscape practically weekly. In addition, there are some other big business benefits of prioritizing upskilling for your employees: Improve Employee Retention (And Save) A 2023 Deloitte study found that workers who feel stagnant at their current employer are 2.5x more likely to quit within the year . However, those who see a path for growth are 3.3x more likely to stay. That’s cold, hard proof that investing in the upskilling that creates upward mobility in the workplace has a huge impact on keeping employees around. And you do want to keep them around — if nothing else, because replacing employees can get pricey ! Boost Productivity and Performance Training workers in diverse and deep skill sets has a way of unlocking their potential, empowering them not only with the tools to become more productive but also the confidence and morale boost to push harder. Foster Company-Wide Innovation Upskilling helps businesses develop a culture of adaptability. When workers feel safe to learn and experiment, you’ll suddenly see innovation springing up all around you, enabling your company to develop more unique offerings, hit the market creatively, and above all boost your bottom line. Enhance Your Customer Reputation Did you know that businesses that prioritize employee friendliness are more likely to be perceived as “good” than those where it’s obvious money is the only motivator? Move your business into this category of companies by really leaning into upskilling and being vocal about the success of your program. 7 Upskilling Tricks to Turn Potential to Performance The way that you choose to create and administer an upskilling program will be pretty unique to your industry, company, and team — and there are a lot of guides out there that can help you get started. (In fact, we have one for upskilling middle management here .) But what about all those unique tips that can help you enhance your process along the way? Those are what we’re focusing on in this section. Think About Upskill As Early As Hiring Want to be especially forward-thinking? Then recruit and hire with upskilling in mind. This means prioritizing employees who already possess a versatile skill set, as well as a mindset that makes them capable of adapting to evolving business needs — rather than hiring based on experience in a strict segment of job requirements. This approach ensures that the workforce you build is entirely agile and able to pivot effectively in response to changes within the organization or external market conditions. Identify Where Upskilling Will Have the Most Impact Assess your company’s existing roster of skills (did you know that text marketing is in?) and technological capabilities (are you using the best tools to make sure your email marketing is heard ?). Really digging into your various departments and processes is the single best way to find the areas where you may be falling short of both industry benchmarks and customer expectations. With that, you can develop training that answers those weaknesses, gaps, and opportunities for improvement. Focus on Strengths, Not Weaknesses Research shows that when employees can utilize their strengths, they are 6x more likely to be engaged at work ! So as you explore opportunities for upskilling, consider leveraging your employees’ innate talents and strengths as a guiding principle. This is in contract to focusing on skills training that solely addresses weaknesses. You may find the need to close some of those gaps, but centering them may have a negative impact on performance and morale. It’s clear most companies stand to gain more by enabling workers to develop in their areas of strength. Ask for and Use Employee Feedback Gather (and apply!) team feedback both before and after upskilling commences. Beforehand, you may want to know things like: Which skills do you believe would enhance your productivity and efficiency in your current role? What skills are you personally keen on developing or expanding? Are there any specific technologies or software programs that you believe could optimize our operational processes? This increases excitement and helps you build learning modules around the right things. You should also check in with employees anytime they’re undergoing upskilling to make sure it’s as productive as possible, asking questions like: How engaging was the format and length? How well did the presenter/training program convey the information? Do you feel you advanced your skills in your chosen area? Would you feel comfortable acting on the skills you learned right away? Do you prefer more or less collaboration? What would you change? Provide Lots of Learning Formats As we’ve touched on, the concept of flexibility is core to upskilling. That’s why it should also be introduced even when it comes to actually implementing the training your workers will use to level up their learning. Here are several different ways you can deliver upskilling sessions. Mix and match based on team needs and the topic you’re covering: Host “lunch and learns” where an external or internal expert teaches a topic Create one-on-one mentorship programs Send employees off to relevant conferences Pay for professional development courses that already exist Hold “shadow” days to immerse employees into roles that expand their skills Invest in an employee training platform Personalize with Pathing Career pathing involves laying out all the transitions, promotions, and other shifts an employee can move through based on their current role and skills. It’s great for giving employees insight into what kind of growth they can expect within a company which leads to, you guessed it, retention! You can follow a similar pattern by building a path through your upskilling program based on each worker’s skills, roles, strengths, and what they would like to learn. This gives folks going through the program a sense of personalization and control, which should really help boost engagement and completion. Commit to Iteration The truth is that the requirements for many roles are regularly evolving. Take a look at IT outsourcing , which has become quite popular in our post-COVID remote world. It requires IT managers to become experts in things like async communication and cybersecurity, skills they probably never needed to prioritize when working with in-office teams. Just like those requirements evolve as times and trends change, so should your upskilling program to keep up. Start Building a Learning Culture with Upskilling A learning culture , which upskilling is an indicator of, is an amazing thing to build at a company. It creates engagement, a community of people who actually care about each other and the company, and several other great business benefits such as better retention, creativity, and beyond. You can begin to build a culture of learning at your business when you apply the above tips to pursue successful upskilling. Good luck! Source: https://gethppy.com/productivity/upskilling-101-transforming-employee-potential-into-performance