As much as you might shudder at the thought, your career success will be directly tied to your willingness and ability to network. I’d go so far as to say that if you don’t learn how, and actively practice and build your networking skills, you won’t reach your goals. Your resume (and your shoes) may be polished to a shine, but if you are ignoring the fact that 2/3 or more of people get their jobs through people they already know, or people they meet in the search, all that shine is for nothing. We get information, ideas, resources, scoop, and new contacts from others in all other areas of our lives, so why should your career be any different?
Enter the room with confidence, stand up straight and smile. Look for a friendly face and introduce yourself. If you don’t see an opportunity to meet someone right away don’t panic. A sure fire way to strike up a conversation is to get in a line (to sign in, for food, for drinks, for the restrooms). You can also approach the person hosting the event and ask for an introduction. In addition, if the list of attendees is available prior to the meeting you can identify someone you would like to meet and approach someone to ask if the person you are looking for is at the meeting.
My intentions with all these truths is software defined networking definitely not to discourage you from starting your own business but to prepare you for the truth of what lies ahead. Success will not come easily or quickly. It is a long, hard, frustrating journey to success. But, if you want it bad enough and possess the qualities needed to finish the journey, success can be yours!!
From a content point of view, consider what it is that you want to get across, what is that unique point? Think also about who it is that you are trying to get in touch with, remember that you’re not selling to your audience, you are trying to get them to understand your products and services so that they can recommend them to others and refer those potential clients back to you.
Are the clients happy at this time? If you start reading reviews on any product or service, you might find yourself taking a walk down memory lane. Do reviews about satellite broadband service from ten years ago have any bearing on you at this point in time? You’ll get an idea about a company by reading reviews from any era but remember how much the situation networking tips for students can change in a few years. Make sure the reviews you trust are from the previous year or two at the earliest.
But to which events? This can be very confusing, there are thousands of networking events and groups, and even more meetups, happening every day. Folks find their favorites and talk about them as though they’re the most important ones to attend. In order to wade through all that advice and those websites, here’s how to find the right networking event for you.
Go the Extra Mile When Doing Your Research. Don’t just look at the general business behind the person you are negotiating with. If you belong to local networking groups, reach out to anyone who may have had dealings with the other person to find out his negotiating style. You’ll want to find out if you need to hold out on a few key points to make the other person think you are giving in on some things. Find out if the person is a bottom-line kind of person; that is, a person who is very straightforward in telling you what s/he wants.
The answer is one word; NETWORKING. Since recruiters maximize the use of their networks and others, all you have to do is be so well networked that a recruiter can’t help but find you. If you really are well networked, as recruiters tap into their networks, your name will always come up as a referral. The more often recruiters hear, “You should call ____, they sound exactly like what you are looking for” the higher the probability you will get a call.
Look at your situation as an opportunity. If you have ever felt unsatisfied or unfilled in your work, this could be the Universe nudging you to find the job you love!