Achieve Career Success With These Networking Tips for Young Professionals

You’ve got the dream job, and you always bring your A-game to work each time. Are you wondering how else you can boost your career prospects as a young professional? Consider networking.

Expanding your network by establishing connections with professionals within the same industry (or adjacent industries) may open doors to future career opportunities. It also helps build your reputation within your field as more people know about you and learn what you can bring to the table.

You can start by sniffing out networking events. Agency and industry groupshold regular mixers for colleagues to meet, hear expert opinions, and keep themselves up to date on the latest industry trends. Moreover, working in a co-working space or other shared facility naturally places you in a collaborative atmosphere, so take advantage of it!

But while networking can open several doors for you, networking smoothly without appearing forced or overly ambitious is a skill in itself. Furthermore, many professionals find it challenging to stay in touch with professional contacts, especially those they don’t interact with regularly. That said, there are ways to resolve these roadblocks and uncover the advantages of networking.

What Is Networking?

In a nutshell, networking refers to the acquiring and building of contacts in your professional life. You could compare it to making friends – professional friends. You have to make introductions, whether through a mutual connection or via your efforts. You must strike a rapport and maintain the relationship.

Apart from building a broader circle, networking can also benefit you in other aspects:

• Strengthen and broadcast your brand
• Trade industry tips and best practices
• Learn career advice
• Enhance your professional profile
• Open career opportunities

Why Should You Start Your Network Early?

It's not hard to imagine how networking can help advance your career, especially as a young professional. It can give you a leg up as you start and carve your professional path. Referrals can lead you to opportunities, while a reputable contact may give you their coveted endorsement should you be needed a recommendation. 

According to Harvard Business Review, horizontal relationships are just as crucial as vertical ones, especially in the global landscape. It also notes that efforts spent in the early days of building a network will save time down the road when you’re trying to solve problems, leverage resources, and achieve success.

Benefits of Networking for Young Professionals

Access to job opportunities 

Apart from scoops from well-placed contacts in other companies, you can be sure to find recruiters or employers scouting potential talent at networking events. Even if you’re not on the lookout for a new role, make yourself visible to them and use these occasional shindigs to show off your industry knowledge and insights. Conversely, you could also use these mixers to learn about prospective employers.

Establishing your competence and subject matter expertise

Putting your best foot forward is necessary when networking. This includes showing off insight and knowledge about a subject matter beyond your years. Younger professionals tend to be overlooked during networking events — but when you are able to show you have something to offer and you’re capable of quality work, older colleagues may be keener to connect with you and see you as a potential asset. 

More doors for career advancement

While you may not be able to secure a job opportunity immediately from a networking event, you can help plant the seeds for future career advancement. You can do this by gaining multiple contacts from people in various fields. Knowing several people within the industry can help you gain better footing within your field and open more windows of opportunity.

How to Prepare for a Networking Event

Prepare a power outfit.

At any party or function, there is that one person who commands attention for impeccable style. The same applies to networking opportunities. You can stand out from the crowd with a power outfit that’s striking yet appropriate. Take note of the dress code for each event and use your sense of style to show off your professionalism, respect, and even attention to detail.

In this era of pyjama bottoms during meetings, dressing decently and professionally has become an even more crucial metric for creating an impression.

Sharpen your communication skills.

It can be nerve-wracking to approach someone you don’t know and engage them. Nonetheless, communicating is a vital part of the networking process. Sharpen your speaking skills by practising how to say hello and how to introduce yourself. You want your introduction to be snappy without overselling who you are – just enough tidbits to let the other person know why you’re worth engaging with. Learn to carry a conversation naturally – read up extensively on your industry (or on other things for that matter), exercise wit and humour, react to what other people are saying.

Be more present in a conversation.

Instead of seeing networking as a chore, frame it as an opportunity to learn and connect with others. It means being present in a conversation, appearing genuinely interested, and asking relevant questions to let the other person know you’d like to learn more. Whoever you’re talking to would figure out if you’re just going through the motions, so make a more active effort to be genuinely interested.  

Follow up.

Don’t hesitate to ask follow-up questions to deepen the conversation. When you’ve reached the end of your talk, make sure to exchange cards or contact information. Don’t be afraid to touch base again by messaging to thank them for their time or even to invite them for coffee. Build a long-lasting relationship and take initiative. 

How to Network Effectively as a Younger Professional

Treat every interaction as a teaching moment.

Another HBR article states that most people have a dominant motivational focus. It's either a “promotion” mindset, where one thinks about their growth, advancements, and future accomplishments, or a “prevention” mindset where one sees an activity such as networking as an obligation. 

People with a promotion mindset were found to engage better in networking as they approach it with excitement, curiosity, and an open mind about what can happen. Meanwhile, those with a prevention mindset felt inauthentic while networking and treated it as something they were required to do. As a result, these prevention-focused people did it less often and did not benefit as much professionally.

When you treat every networking opportunity as a learning moment, it can lead to fascinating insights and could even help you boost the knowledge and skills that you need in your job. 

Find common ground.

One way to make networking more genuine and get productive results is not to network for the sake of networking. Instead, be more intentional with your networking efforts by thinking about the interests and goals you may share with other people. It can help you form meaningful relationships and feel like you have something to offer, even if you are a junior colleague. 

The next step in making networking more palatable is to think about how your interests and goals align with those you meet and how that can help you forge meaningful working relationships. Senior colleagues tend to be more comfortable networking than junior people because of the power and influence they wield in an organisation or industry. That said, even those lower up the rung and in a smaller sphere of influence can certainly have more to offer than they realise – being able to provide gratitude and recognition to a mentor is certainly important since it also validates the latter’s wealth of experience and value while boosting their reputation.

Maintain the connection.

If your conversation went especially well, you would want to sustain that connection and make sure they keep you in mind. Stay in touch by texting or messaging them, thanking them for their time, and inviting them to coffee or lunch sometime in the future. You don’t have to be pressured to book this immediately, but clarifying your intentions of getting to know them better can help strengthen rapport.

Note that reaping the benefits of networking is not always immediate: for example, just because you’re not looking for another company to work for right now doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of having a robust network. Sometimes it will take months or even years to act upon a connection you made – but you will want to keep that card handy when the opportunity arrives.

Ready to #SEEKBetter connections and boost your professional life? Visit JobStreet now, update your profile, and read more helpful advice from our Career Resources section. Get the app, available on App Store and Google Play, for easier access.