According to serial entrepreneur Andrew Vest , ?t rue networking occurs when there?s an understanding that everyone in the room has equal value. In its purest form, it?s about people enjoying other people, communicat ing passions and connect ing with others who share those passions.?

When done well, networking can be incredibly valuable. Genuine connect ions with people can serve as quality feedback loops, as well as sources of inspirat ion or potent ial opportunit ies. When done poorly, i t can make us feel uneasy, disappointed, fake and lonely.

Here are the top f ive networking t ips to save you from standing awkwardly next to the cheese plat ters this season:

1.Networking hygiene: Start networking before you need it . Do not wait for your career to change t rack or sending an important applicat ion before you ask for help, advice, feedback or references. This will come across desperate and self-serving. A good t ime to build your network is when you can be helpful to others, are gainfully employed, and have no ?ulterior mot ives?. This will make the interact ion with the people you meet genuine and generous.

Set out an hour a week where you go through your contacts, LinkedIn, and work emails and just ?touch base? with people. A cheeky t ip is to also set calendar remainders to follow up with the key people in your network so you remain top of m ind. Behaving this way constant ly will also build your reputat ion, which is what brings us to our next point .

2. Keep up your personal brand: After meet ing you at an event , you should expect that people may look at your LinkedIn prof i le, company website, Twit ter account , etc. If this happens, you want to make sure that these plat forms show you to have an interest ing, relevant and m indful online presence. Good, relevant content can immediately provide t rust and credibili ty, and it is a great t ime to showcase your work and achievements; subt le and classy.

EVEREDGE | TOP 5 NETWORKING TIPS

TO P 3 N ETW O RKIN G TIPS YO U N EED TO KN O W TH IS SEA SO N

EVEREDGE / TOP 5 NETWORKING TIPS

3. Do your homework and follow up: This may seem obvious at f irst , but i t is amazing how many people let leads run cold by simply neglect ing this step. Do your research on the people you are interested in meet ing. If you are at tending an event , look at the invite list , the guest speaker, background informat ion on the topic, and anyone in part icular you would like to talk to? Prepare some quest ions for those people, and have some of your own answers prepared to quest ions you m ight be asked. After the event i t is nice to contact the people you spoke to and send them a breezy polite message (don?t add them on LinkedIn, Twit ter, Facebook all in one go, as this m ight come across a bit too aggressive).

4. Listen: Hannah Fleishman, market ing lead at HubSpot said ?A lot of people use networking as an opportunity to hard-sell themselves, this is a big m istake. We should be using networking to make new connect ions and leave great impressions on those connect ions. Stealing the spot light to talk about all the amazing things you?ve done isn?t how you connect w ith someone ? save that for your job interview.?

5. Be helpful: Rethink the way you network by focusing on what you can do to help other people instead of what you have to gain from those relat ionships. Approaching people with this sort of at t i tude will not only increase the quality of your relat ionships, but also ensure bet ter conversat ions.

Overall, to sum it all up, i t comes down to being a good human. Good genuine connect ions are made when people are consistent ly in your li fe (not just when they need something), when you are authent ic, relevant and interest ing to talk to, and when you can be a good listener in return. Be likeable by asking intelligent quest ions, and willing to put yourself out there, and offer your skills and expert ise even when there is no apparent immediate gain; karma will take care of the rest .

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