Of course it helps to know things, but it also helps to know people who can get you in the position to show off what you know. Those people are your professional network. Here's the lowdown: a "professional network" is just code for "friends who are willing to help each other professionally." Building yours doesn't have to be hard, and it shouldn't feel sleazy. Here's how to do it.
Simply, a "professional network" is really a group of friends who like each other and are willing to help each other out when times get tough professionally. Nothing more, nothing less. We'vetouched on this idea in the past, but the way that career gurus and experts talk about it, you might think it's some monolithic task that will net you a kind of secret club that does nothing but schmooze with important people and throw around buzzwords. Building your network isn't actually a big deal, though, and it's not that hard to do. All you're really doing is making new friends and staying in touch with old ones, both at and around work. That's the core here: If you think that "professional network" has to be some sleazy business, you're either doing it wrong or you're taking examples from the wrong people.
We'll explore this in detail later, but it's extremely important to be genuine. Your network shouldn't be full of "people in high places you hate but can hook you up," it should be full of people who are willing to really, genuinely lend you a hand or take a risk for you. In this post, we'll offer up some practical, down-to-earth tips to build your professional network and stay in touch with the people in it.
At my last job, I used to roll my eyes at our company's constant attempts to get people to hang out together after work. I already spent over 40 hours a week with these people! I liked them, but just wanted to get away once in awhile. Work-sponsored team building is one thing, but my feelings worked in reverse, too: If you're going to spend so much time at work, shouldn't it be with people you actually like, or at least can tolerate?
After all, most of you spend between 40-50 hours at work. Don't be cynical, make friends with the people you work with. Doing so makes your day-to-day a little easier, and it'll expose you to different skills and the work that other people in your office do. There's a lot to be said for knowing a little about everyone's job and being willing to pitch in and help. Don't stop with the people you work with either. Seek out people who do what you do for a living at other companies. You'll be exposed to people who have the kind of experience you want, work in the positions you aspire to, and introduce you to people you can learn from.
With a little effort, you'll have people at work you're actually happy to see when you walk in every morning, or people you wouldn't mind hanging out with after you shut your computer down for the day. Plus, if those friendships are strong, they'll persist when you get a new job, get promoted, or leave the company. Remember, every job is temporary, but good, strong friendships don't have to be.
Most workplace friendships happen organically, so there's no reason to go out of your way to "try" to make friends with people. After all, you spend a ton of time with them, so it makes sense you'll get to know each other. You may need to unlearn the desire to seclude yourself at your desk all day, though. Go out for lunch with your coworkers when asked, or ask them to go grab a coffee. Don't be that overly distracting coworker, but do offer from time to time. If they ask you, go for it, at least as much as you're comfortable with.
It might be tempting to just say no and hide behind your keyboard, but the worst thing that can happen is that your colleagues stop asking you because they assume you either don't like them, or you'll just say no like you always do. Eventually you'll be overlooked, not just personally, but professionally, too. Don't force it if you hate it, but try to step out of your comfort zone from time to time—it'll do you a world of good.
Beyond that, you still have to be willing to meet new people. Here are a few ways you can put yourself in the position to:
Remember our core point here: Your "professional network" is just a circle of friends that have work-related things in common. Making friends isn't hard if you actually try, and since you already have work or careers in common, you have plenty to chat about. There will be some people you just won't click with, but with a little effort, you'll come out with friends worth having on multiple levels.
Stay in Touch with People, Genuinely
So far we've talked about which types of people would make great candidates for your professional network, and how to meet those people and get into situations where you can get to know them better. That's all great, but there's are two things we don't want to overlook that are very important:
We can't understate the importance of being genuine with people and not just leading with what you want from someone. After all, you'd be able to tell if someone was only chatting you up because they needed something, right? Don't be that person to someone else. There's nothing wrong with asking for help, but most of us usually only ask people we like, trust, and respect. The same should apply professionally. Be honest, open, do your homework, and approach someone you trust with the help you may want from them in mind. Ideally, when you do ask someone for an introduction to someone at their company, or to pass along your resume, you'll do it the way you'd want someone to ask you to do the same: with tact, class, and the understanding that you're not asking for miracles, just a helping hand.
Also, when you approach someone, it shouldn't be the first time they've heard from you in months. Everyone says they'll stay in touch when they leave a job, but few people actually do. Don't be one of the people that doesn't. Keep up with your old colleagues after you've moved on, and check in from time to time with friends from your union or professional society just to see how they're doing. Ask them out for coffee. It's disheartening to leave a job and the friends you've made there only to lose touch with them because you were just so caught up with your new job that you forgot to reach out and say hello from time to time. Do it now, you won't regret it.
If the idea of keeping up with your coworkers or people you might happen to meet sounds daunting, it doesn't have to be. Remember, this isn't about collecting business cards in a rolodex—the best professional contacts in your network are people you don't need to think too hard about to remember well. That said, the right tech can help you keep up with the people you want to stay in touch with. Here are a few tools you may already know, but could use better to keep your professional network alive and well:
LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the professional social network. You know, the one you visit whenever someone sends you a connection request and otherwise forget exists. It's time to look at LinkedIn in a new light. We've shared some tips for making the most of LinkedIn before, and the new LinkedIn Contacts brings your contacts together in one place so you can follow them more easily. The real beauty here is that LinkedIn Contacts will tell you when one of your friends just got a promotion, changed their job title, moved to a new company, or added a new degree. You'll be able to say hello, congratulate them, and in general just be more in touch with their professional lives. Don't forget your other social networks either—if you have communities you're a part of on Twitter, Google+, or Facebook, use them to stay in touch with the contacts you've made too.
Rapportive, Smartr, and Other Smart Contact Managers: Keeping up with family and old friends can be difficult enough, adding more people on top of that doesn't exactly make things easier. A smart contacts manager or address book, like Rapportive, Smartr (byXobni), and Cobook can all help you out a bit by notifying you when people change jobs, update their social profiles with new contact information, or when you haven't reached out to someone in a long time. Previously mentioned Luper reminds you to call important contacts so you stay in touch, as does another app we love, NextCall. In every case, these tools take the hassle out of remembering to stay in touch, and lets you focus on just doing it periodically when the time—and the mood—are right.
It might feel disingenuous to use technology to keep up with people you would normally consider to be your friends. After all, if they're your friends, you should remember to stay in touch, right? We all know that's not true. Everyone's busy, and even good, old friends can fall by the wayside because our lives move so fast. If you can think of a good friend you haven't spoken to in ages, you know what I mean. If there's any way technology can help make our lives better—both personally and professionally—it's to help us stay connected with the people that matter to us.
So we've made the case for making friends with the people you work with, and for seeking out people who do the work that you do. We've also shown you how, and how to stay genuine when you do. All of this serves two purposes: First, you'll make friends that could stay with you for life. Second, you'll meet people who may be able to help your career in the future, either because they can teach you something valuable, pass along useful information, or put in a good word for you the next time you're looking for a job. The former is more important than the latter, but when the latter comes in handy, it's hard to understate how great it can be to take that friend out for drinks after you landed a new job thanks to their help.
At the end of the day, professional networking is about making friends and putting effort into relationships. You're not just building a network, you're building a group of friends that you genuinely care about, that you'd be willing to help if they asked you to and who are willing to help you too. It may start out as "networking," and it may feel awkward when you need to call in a favor, but it should finish with people you'd invite to a dinner party or have at your wedding.