Having a broad professional network gives you access to many resources to ensure success: information, expertise, the right people at the right time … But maintaining this network can also require a lot of time and sometimes financial resources. Here are our 4 tips for developing and consolidating your network.
1- Connect with influential people in your network
One of the most common mistakes made by people looking to expand their network is wanting to meet as many people as possible. This may indeed give you access to more information but maintaining a professional network has a human and often financial cost. It is much more effective to connect with people who already have a large network and can benefit you.
Ask yourself who are the most important people for you? Those who you need to be in contact with in the future? Identify the most influential people in the networks you want to penetrate. These are not necessarily the highest up in the hierarchy. Also think about people who can put you in touch with different networks or ones that complement yours.
2- Giving without receiving
Trust is the cement of human relationships. Spontaneously send information that may be of interest to your contacts, put people in contact with each other without asking for anything in return. It is highly likely that some people won’t return the favour, but others will do so spontaneously. Tell your contacts that you can help them on topics that are not related to your business or your interest in the short term: recruitment or seeking a service provider in a field other than yours. It is always easier to connect with a contact when you have previously helped them out.
3- Nurture different networks
There is a natural tendency to limit your network to those people who are closest to you. However, while these people are essential to our well-being, they are rarely the most useful for developing our network. Connect to people outside your inner circle and your comfort zone. Connect worlds that do not usually communicate with each other: For example, academia and the professional world, small and large businesses … If you can, connect with your peers in different types of companies. This will allow you to discuss your ideas in spheres where you are not in competition with each other.
4- Identify your network for now … and the future
To use your network well you must first get to know it. Which of your friends are connected to each other? Who are the people who only you know? Finally, the needs of your network will evolve over the course of your career. Remember to make contacts that are linked to your future professional wishes. By doing this you can connect with them when the time comes since you will have already created a relationship of trust.
