Young Professionals: How do I grow my professional network?
Moving into a new decade the technology around us continues to evolve and is not waiting for us to catch up.
A new era of business has begun with the rising popularity of tools such as Slack, Zoom and Teams. We are seeing a higher amount of people working remotely and less human interaction by the day. One downfall to this approach of business is professional networking. Growing your professional network is a key fundamental and necessity for a successful career. Not only does professional networking allow you more job opportunities but it can funnel into growing your business with sales, access to talent and wealth of knowledge. A new wave of networking has begun and it's through online collective movements in communities such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Mindhive.
1. Find a shared community
Working remotely or in an office in the city, there are communities all around you. Most prominently online. It's time to take the first step and find a community that aligns with the core of the industry you work in. Look beyond googling "professional networking groups near me" and start digging for fellow industry workers among the internet. You can start your search with sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Quora, Reddit or Mindhive. Looking for pre-established communities that can either be locally based or online-focused.
2. Immerse yourself
Once you have found this group it is time to immerse yourself. It's important to understand the culture of this group before you start contributing. Learn to read the room and setting of this community to understand. Take some time to read through what others are posting and the context. Is it formal? informal? comedic? friendly? Understand the relationships that are already formed in this networking group so that you can make a good first impression.
3. Contribute value into that community
It's not all take, you have to give back. Contribute value and start becoming a functioning member of your chosen community. Through sharing thought pieces, articles or offering your opinion. Start growing your brand by giving value back. By building your brand you can form a reputation for who you are and how people will perceive you. Here is a fantastic read on the process of personal branding.
4. Become known as a Thought Leader in that field
This is the most important step...you want to become "that guy". Becoming a thought leader in your chosen industry requires both confidences in what you're saying and the work you do. You want to be known as "the IT guy, the Marketing guy, the Stock Trading guy" Being branded as the know all will lead you with further opportunities. For when they have a problem with IT or Marketing, they will think of you first.
5. Participate in Networking Events
Now, this can be daunting and at the same time can be seen as a waste of time. Most networking events are as they are, serve as a function when each party is there to take. But moving away from traditional events if that is not something you see value in, is online events. These can include webinar, live YouTube shows or collective problem solving with Mindhive. You're not restricted to the traditional outing but new wave events are always forming that can abide by your busy schedule.
Though you may not need to look too far for your next networking community. Mindhive brings together thought leaders from across the globe using collective intelligence to solve issues that matter to you.
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