Dear Sue: I hear a lot about "networking" as a way of helping people find new jobs or advance in their careers. I am interested in expanding my network, but I have no idea how to go about making contacts.
If I went some place where I might find someone as a possible contact, I would be afraid to approach people because I have no idea about what to say.
Most of the people I come into contact with at work don't seem interested in more than saying "hello," so it's hard to imagine them being on my contact list. Can you explain how to network effectively?
- Need to network
Sue Says: I sought the advice of Melissa Giovagnoli, president of Networlding.com , and coauthor of the book, "Networlding: Building Relationships and Opportunities for Success." She defines networking as the process of developing relationships with people to help achieve personal and professional goals. She says that most people don't realize that every person they meet has a "hidden network." In other words, everyone has a core group of people they influence strongly. These people like and trust us, and will most likely transfer that like and trust to people we refer to them. Most of us have at least one or two people we have high influence with.
When we connect with someone, we also connect with the other connections they have. This reality plays out further when you realize that these new connections will also have connections with influence, and so on and so on. It becom...
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