I just got back from New Orleans and the FinCon Expo. Even though I like to go and hang out with my good friends, I also enjoy going for the networking. Any conference is a good place to meet new people and prospects and get in a little networking.
As part of the Money Mastermind Show, which I’m a part of, we talked about career networking, and even asked some folks at FinCon about their best career networking tips. You can watch the show by clicking on this link, and see some of the tips from FinCon14 starting at around 20:21.
How Can Networking Help Your Career?
For many of us, networking seems like a lot of work for a small result. However, the reality is that networking can be good for your career. Gone are the days when you are hired at a company and you work there for 25 or 30 years. Instead, you are likely to have several jobs over your lifetime. In such an environment, networking becomes important, since who you know is likely to be increasingly important.
Networking can help your career by allowing you to keep a finger on the pulse of what’s happening in your field. Plus, you never know when a contact will be the key to opening the door at a great new job, or when you will be able to help someone else. Learning to network can help you as you move from job to job and run into the same people throughout your career.
Not only that, but if you decide to start your own business, networking skills can be very helpful indeed. You will be able to find contacts and partners more easily when you can network. Starting a business can be difficult, but the right career network can help you find what you need, when you need it.
Networking Tips
Some of the networking tips from FinCon attendees were great. Many of them focused on being yourself, and on giving, rather than focusing on taking. It seems a little counterintuitive to offer to give to people you are networking with, rather than trying to figure out what you can get from them. However, the truth is that you will do better when you are generous with your help. Be authentic and helpful, and people will respond to you.
It can also be difficult to stay excited about networking. I’m an introvert, and that means that it can be difficult for me to network in certain environments. I like people, of course, but it takes a lot of energy for me to network. That’s why I try to recover a bit while I’m networking. I’ll go sit somewhere quiet for half an hour, or go to my room to recharge.
Don’t let the fact that you are an introvert keep you from being yourself and doing the work of networking. Figure out how to be yourself and still connect with others, and look for ways to provide value to those you meet. In the end, you’ll advance your career, improve your business, and maybe even make a few new friends.
