Many of you will have heard the famous saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” But as far as I know, both are equally important. At least when it comes to landing a job and succeeding in your career, it’s not only what you know, but also who you know.
That said, today we are going to place focus on who you know, how you get to know them and why it matters to know more people. In other words, we are going to talk about networking!
Many of you will have heard about networking, or have been advised through career advice blogs and articles to network. You may be wondering: Why are networks so important and how can you expand your professional network?
Networking is a powerful career-growth tool that can open up many doors and bring about opportunities that would otherwise have flown past your radar. Networking can expose you to new jobs, improve your chances of getting those jobs and introduce you to new career opportunities you might be interested in or might have never even thought about pursuing.
Now, building a professional network sounds incredibly challenging and time-consuming and you might not know how or where to start. However, I am here to tell you that it is not as hard as you might think!
In the era of the internet and social networking, it has become significantly easier to build a professional network and get your name out there. A wide professional network will enable you to reach more job opportunities if you are a job seeker, get more clients and increasing your sales if you have a business, or increase your ability to share and receive valuable information and ideas.
You can build your professional network both online and offline in so many different ways. In this article, I will list the six ways that are often considered the best to help you widen your professional network starting today:
1. Bayt.com public profiles:
You can think of your Bayt.com public profile as your online business card. With a public profile, more people will be able to reach you, and find you through search engines like Google. Having a public profile will also help you get skills endorsements from your colleagues and people you worked with.
2. Personal branding:
Many people think of branding as something exclusive to products or companies. But why can’t you build a brand for yourself? Well, you definitely can. You’ll need people to recognize you when your name or your job are mentioned. When you build your personal brand perfectly, more people will be curious to know you and connect with you, and this will indeed expand your network. You should also remember that getting a job and moving up the career ladder have a common thread and that is recognition. Through branding yourself, you will be able to attain recognition, build your reputation and control the message people get when they see your name or hear about you. By focusing on your personal brand and how you connect with others, you’ll also be able to easily add recommendation letters and references to your Bayt.com profile, which are essential components of a successful CV.
3. Attend conferences and events:
Whether it’s a conference, a workshop, a career-related event, or a job fair, professional events are always a great place to meet and share ideas and information with professionals from the various industries. Do not limit yourself to your own industry as contacts in other industries will also be useful to you along the line.
Always keep your eyes and ears on alert for events happening in your area or in different countries so that you don’t miss any opportunity. Don’t hesitate to even host an event of your own every once in awhile. This is guaranteed to get your name and expertise recognized and to impress some potential employers.
4. Volunteer:
Not only is volunteering about helping people in your community and supporting a cause you passionately care about, but volunteering is also an amazing opportunity to break free of your daily working routine, and to meet new people from different backgrounds and careers. You can think of volunteering as another opportunity to connect with more professionals with the same interests as you.
5. Social media platforms
Ask and answer questions. Social networks are flooded with information and work-related groups. Everyday, there are hundreds of questions you can ask or answer. You can share articles you write, make videos to talk about a topic you’re good at, and maybe follow more professionals in areas that interest you. Remember that you can expand your professional network without ever leaving your desk!
6. Travel
Travelling is one of the best ways to broaden your knowledge, mind and horizons, but it doesn’t stop there! It is also a perfect way to expand your network. Be friendly, introduce yourself and never hesitate to meet new people. You never know who could end up connecting you to the job of your dreams.
