1. Networking is mainly about networking events

FALSE. Networking is anything that builds a supportive, productive, and mutually beneficial web of connections. Different people can accomplish that in different ways. A person could build social connections by volunteering, meeting neighbours, reconnecting with old classmates… the sky’s the limit. The best way to network is the way works best for the networker.

2. Introverts are bad at networking

FALSE. Introverts rock at networking when they do it by embracing their natural strengths. The path to good networks for an introvert is not, as many would have it, to act more like extroverts. It’s to take the things they are good at as introverts and apply them to the business of building connections.

3. Networking is for job hunters and salespeople

FALSE. Networking is lifelong. People need people, all the time. At different times in our lives, we might have specific needs that dictate how much time we spend creating and cultivating certain types of connections, but networks are always important, beginning to end.

4. Networking is self serving and gross

FALSE. Networking is not about finding people who have what you need. It’s about finding people who need what you have. This doesn’t mean that it cannot deliver on what you need. But it’s a subtle shift in mindset that takes the ‘gross’ out of networking.

5. Networking is all about meeting new people

FALSE. Networking is as much about cultivating and maintaining existing connections as it is about making new ones. Long term connections that have the chance to build up trust and understanding are what make up the network you need to succeed.

 

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Completely Painless (and surprisingly effective) Networking: 7 Things You Must Know To Do It Right

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