The Career Benefits of Networking
The importance of networking throughout your career cannot be overstated, it gives you access and opportunities for jobs that you simply would not have without it. Not only that, it builds your skills and abilities through the process of meeting new people with different skillsets. Here, The Network Clubs wanted to let you in on why and how networking can help your career and also give you an example of a success story.
Perspective – Like life in general, meeting new people and hearing different stories is paramount. Especially when you’re just starting out on your networking journey, listening to different ideas, different stories and different perspectives can really change the way you see your ideas. It moulds you into a more knowledgeable and wise person, seeing what to do and more importantly, what not to do throughout your journey is crucial in your early days as an entrepreneur. Never be afraid to ask the people in your network their opinions, sometimes, we can get caught up in our own mind and start to see things unclearly. This is where your acquaintances can step in and give you a new view that may just save you from error. It can stop you from making mistakes, inspire new ideas and keep future ideas relevant.
It gets you out there – Networking gets you noticed, it really is as simple as that. Building connections with new people is essential in pretty much any career. The old saying “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is definitely somewhat true. Whilst the full truth is of course somewhere in the middle, you obviously need to know a lot, but who you know can open you up to new opportunities that would not be there just based on knowledge alone. Attend networking events to get your face and voice known, make a good first impression and that can go a long way. The same people often attend similar events one after another, so the chances of seeing familiar faces is quite high. This develops relationships that can open you up to new situations that different individuals have going on. If you’re just starting out in your career, networking is a way to get your foot in the door.
Confidence – Networking by definition, is a sociable occurrence. Seeing new people, talking to them and establishing relationships is a sure-fire way to build your confidence around large crowds, future business acquaintances and like-minded individuals. Exchanging ideas and sharing conversation at networking events is one of the best way to increase self-confidence, so whilst the first networking convention you attend might be a little daunting, it really benefits your self-belief after you jump over that first hurdle.
Support & guidance – By putting yourself out there during networking events, you open yourself to the opportunity of being given support in a variety of different ways. Once you establish a community, these individuals can assist by offering their services in the relevant field of expertise. However, gaining the support of high-profile individuals can also give you links to more financial support if you so need it. These high-profile individuals know a lot of people and can point you in the right direction for financial support, or even provide it themselves if they think the opportunity may benefit them also.
Connections for life – The ultimate goal of networking is to create and maintain connections. The initial process of making yourself known and establishing connections can quite literally be the difference between you getting a job in your desired career choice. You may not be ready to start your career yet, but that means networking is even more important, so that when the time arises to start that career, you already know a handful of people that can assist you in that job hunt. Once that job is secured, it is crucial to maintain those initial connections for as long as possible, ideally for the rest of your career. This cannot only build acquaintances, but also career relationships that can eventually flourish into business partners and friendships.
Someone who has put these tips and more to good use is Tru Powell, a speaker at one of our events coming up in April at The Networking Clubs. Tru Powell started from humble beginnings, born into a single parent household with his six siblings. From a young age, Powell knew he had a knack for business acumen after starting a talent show with his twin brother at just 8-years-old and made a profit from the event. Powell is now a board member for the Birmingham Hippodrome, The West Midlands Regional Tourism Board and TAG Network Midlands. The Birmingham born entrepreneur invested his time heavily into personal branding and networking to become an extremely successful individual that proves networking is a key tool in the success of entrepreneurs. Tru Powell is speaking at The Mailbox, Birmingham on April 27th. Book your place here.
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