The Importance of Professional Networking

Theimportance of the professional networkshouldn’t be underestimated. It is hugely advantageous for job hunters in particular as a personal recommendation to an employer from a trusted source is invaluable.

Yourprofessional networkshould already be in place when you need it and you never know when this might be. It can help you to find a job and move up the career ladder but it requires effort to maintain.

Expanding your professional networkis not something you should only think about when you’re job hunting. It should be a part of your work life and something you invest in over time. Allrelationships work in both directionsso you can’t just expect to reap the benefits, you have to reach out to others when they need help.

If you want to improve yourlong-term career prospects, it is essential to understand theimportanceof career networkingand how to use it to your advantage. Along with yourprofessional resume, your network is one of the most powerful tools you have to make the next big career move.

What is a professional network?

Professional networkingsimply means building professional relationships. It is about meeting and establishing mutually-beneficial connections with people in your profession or industry. The goal of networking is tobuild a professional network:a group of people who would do you a favor for, and who would do a favor for you.

The launch ofprofessional network sitessuch as LinkedIn has made the process much easier as you can make connections with a simple click. However, this can be deceiving.

A purely online connection is probably neither strong or genuine. Strongerprofessional relationshipsnaturally develop between people who have met in person.

The importance of the professional network

There are numerousbenefits of networking. You are much more likely to hear about job opportunities and, even more importantly, be recommended to the hirer by someone in your network. Astrong professional networkcan help you in ajob searchand make important career moves.

Apersonal recommendationis likely to advance you straight through to the interview stage or even further. If an ex-colleague can vouch for the work you’ve done in the past and show their faith in you as a person, this could immediately make you thefrontrunner for the position.

However, you should take nothing for granted. It is stillessential to focus on selling yourself by using aresume builderto produce an attractive resume and to work on your job interview technique.

5 professional networking tips

Here are five tips onhow to build a professional networkwhich will help to improve your long-term career prospects. Remember,building a professional networkisn’t something you can do overnight. You should keep thiscareer advicein mind throughout your professional life.

1) Reach out to the right people

Build relationships with people whocan help you make a career move.Past and present colleaguesand bosses are particularly good contacts but also include friends in similar professions, alumni from college, people from school, and more generally,anyone who can help you.

2) Keep in touch with your contacts

Don’t just contact people when you need them.Invest in each relationshipand try to stay in touch, even if it’s just the occasional message to ask how someone is. The stronger your relationships are with your contacts, the more they will be willing to help you.

3) Build your professional network online

There are a number of onlineprofessional network services, such as LinkedIn, which are useful tools for staying in touch with people and for making new connections. If you’re a student you should start building ayoung professional networkas early as possible as it will help you in the future. This is one of thetop career tips after graduation. Remember that making an online connection is just the starting point, you will need to maintain the relationship.

4) Attend professional networking events

Networking face-to-face is very effective. If you have the change to engage inprofessional networking activitiesor go to events, take advantage of the opportunity. They are designed for helping people to build mutually-beneficial professional relationships. There are manyprofessional networking groupsyou can join whichregularly hold events.

5) Do favors for your contacts

You can’t expect to only receive theprofessional networking benefits. The phrase “what goes around comes around” is worth keeping in mind. If you have the chance to help someone, take it, as it won’t be forgotten. Point your contacts in the direction of job vacancies and share other valuable information.

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The Importance of Professional Networking | ResumeCoach (2024)