How To Develop Your Networking Skills Towards Being Productive Rather Than Pointless

Learning how to network and relate to potential employers is essential when it comes to landing a job. Now, more than ever, knowing how to communicate is revered highly by employers seeking candidates for open positions.

A Sagepresence article about networking productively  argues that in order to convince employers to hire you, you should make your conversation more about them than you. Networking is not about selling your achievements and characteristics, but more so about building a relationship with the person you are talking to.

When networking, a primary goal should be to let the person know that you are there to help them in some way. If you take the opportunity to network with an employer and are feeling a little unprepared, it is natural to talk about yourself to him or her. This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially since networking involves having a genuine interest in learning about each other. Furthermore, people typically feel linked to us if we talk about ourselves.

You can also build your potential by communicating something meaningful to the employer that can show them how you can benefit them and their company. According to Sagepresence, there are three significant components to prepare for networking with an employer.

1. You will introduce yourself with basic information such as name and of course, an elevator pitch that has been pre-prepared.
2. You should tell the employer about something you are currently lacking that the employer can help you with. For example, mentioning that you are seeking a more challenging position or would like to be employed with a company that encourages autonomy.
3. Tell the employer about your “happy ending."
4. The last stage simply serves the purpose of summing up all three steps and giving the employer another idea of what you are seeking. 

An example of the third step is “I’m keeping busy, but I’m underemployed right now. My best skills simply aren’t being challenged as much as I want them to be”. All in all, at the end, the employer should have an idea of how he or she can help you and vice versa.

Shayla Frinks
Career Educator