Successful Networking

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Successful Networking

By: Ali SABKAR | MarketingatBahrain.org

“Steps to Success” | 03rd July 2011

MarketingatBahrain.org Copyright © July 2011

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Networking

What

How

Where

Why


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What is Networking?Many career changers know that networking is something they should be

doing, but they still ask – what is networking?

Anyone offering career changing advice

will tell you that it is probably one of the

most essential tools in your career planning strategy.


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Networking Definition…


‘A process where you develop

long term relationships with

others for mutual benefit.’

‘A process where you develop

long term relationships with

others for mutual benefit.’

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Networking..

It is not about finding a quick fix to your career change and job search problems.

Networking is about building relationships, not just filling an address book with as many names and numbers as possible.

It is a two-way process where you make contacts that may be beneficial to you, but where you also offer information and assistance in return.

Do not expect to get the magic answer to your career change questions at a single meeting.


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Networking. How can it help you?

It can serve many purposes, including enabling you to:

Research career ideas

Identify new possible career paths

Understand more about particular occupational areas

Learn from the experience of others

Build up a team of people who can support you in the career change

process

Identify particular people who can act as mentor for you

Find out about jobs and other opportunities that may not be advertised


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Networking. How can it help you? Create a pool of relevant contacts who know,

trust and respect you

Explore or market self employed business

opportunities you are developing

Develop your soft skills e.g. communication,

listening.

For anyone considering a job change, career

networking can be invaluable whether you

are at the early exploratory stages or at the

point of seeking specific job opportunities.


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Networking.. When & where can you do it?Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere!

But having said that, there are two approaches that are particularly relevant

to career changers:

Meeting with people on a 1-1 basis to ask for specific information.

Meeting people at group events where you are less likely to know who

you may encounter.

Both of these can just happen informally or they may be set up intentionally

by you.


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Networking.. When & where can you do it?

Networking know- how suggests that you should:

Develop a mindset that enables you to take advantage of casual meetings

that happen unexpectedly. You never know when you might meet

someone who could give you just the lead you need to move the career

change process forward.

Have a more planned networking strategy where you actively seek out

opportunities to meet with people who may be able to help.


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Networking.. How to develop your strategy

Have a clear purpose to your networking. Who do you want to meet,

what do you want to learn & why? Research where you are likely to meet

people who could help you.

Reflect on what you have to give. Who & what do you know that may

help others? Remember that networking is about mutual benefits.

Create a networking business card that will promote you effectively.


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Networking.. How to develop your strategy

Set yourself targets of a set number of new contacts you will make each

week or month.

Write a networking letter to arrange informational interviews with some

of your new contacts. You should also plan regular follow-ups with

existing contacts.

Keep accurate records of your contacts. Not just name, phone and email

address but details of where you met them, what is relevant about them

for you, how they might help, what you offered to do for them and when

you last contacted them.


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Networking.. What are the key skills needed?

There are many skills that will make you an effective networker. Here are

some of the most important ones:

Listening skills.

Awareness of body language.

Able to present yourself positively.

Good questioning.

Conversational skills.


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Networking.. What are the key skills needed? Able to build rapport.

Genuine interest in others.

Willingness to offer help as well as seek it out.

Ability to adapt your approach according to the person and situation.

Confidence without arrogance.

Willingness to push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Readiness to practice networking skills and to learn from your own

mistakes as you go.


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Networking.. If you think of yourself as an introvert or you feel awkward talking to

strangers, don’t panic.

Networking is not just for the extroverts amongst us. You may prefer to do

more 1-1 networking or when in groups, focus your attention on asking

questions to get others talking first.

However, remember that networking is a great opportunity for you to

develop, so try to push the boundaries of your comfort zone by taking

small but manageable risks with your networking from time to time.


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So.. What is Networking?

It's great tool for career changers and job seekers so make sure you use it to your best advantage!


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Social media are media for social interaction,

using highly accessible and scalable

communication techniques. The term refers to

the use of web-based and mobile technologies

to turn communication into interactive dialogue.

Businesses may also refer to social media as

Consumer-Generated Media (CGM). A common

thread running through all definitions of social

media is a blending of technology and social

interaction for the co-creation of value.

Social Media


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The differences between social media and social networking are just about as vast as night

and day.

There are some key differences and knowing what they are can help you gain a better

understanding on how to leverage them for your brand and business.

Social Media and Social Networking


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Social Media Social Networking

Social media is a way to transmit, or

share information with a broad

audience. Everyone has the opportunity

to create and distribute. All you really

need is an internet connection and

you're off to the races.

Social networking is an act of

engagement. Groups of people with

common interests, or like-minds,

associate together on social

networking sites and build

relationships through community.

By Any Definition


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Social media is more akin to a

communication channel. It's a format

that delivers a message. Like

television, radio or newspaper, social

media isn't a location that you visit.

Social media is simply a system that

disseminates information ‘to' others.

Social networking, communication is

two-way. Depending on the topic,

subject matter or atmosphere,

people congregate to join others with

similar experiences and backgrounds.

Conversations are at the core of

social networking and through them

relationships are developed.

Communication Style


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Social Media Social NetworkingIt can be difficult to obtain precise numbers for determining the ROI from social media. How do you put a numeric value on the buzz and excitement of online conversations about your brand, product or service? This doesn't mean that ROI is null, it just means that the tactics used to measure are different. For e.g., influence, or the depth of conversation and what the conversations are about, can be used to gauge ROI.

Social networking's ROI is a bit more

obvious. If the overall traffic to your

website is on the rise and you're

diligently increasing your social

networking base, you probably could

attribute the rise in online visitors to

your social efforts.

Return on Investment


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Social media is hard work and it takes

time. You can't automate individual

conversations and unless you're a

well-known and established brand,

building a following doesn't happen

overnight. Social media is definitely a

marathon and not a sprint.

Because social networking is direct

communication between you and

the people that you choose connect

with, your conversations are richer,

more purposeful and more personal.

Your network exponentially grows as

you meet and get introduced to

others.


Timely Responses


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Big no-no on with social media is skewing or manipulating data, for your own benefit (personal or business).

Asking friends, family, co-workers or anyone else to cast a vote just to cast it, doesn't do anyone much good for anyone and it can quickly become a PR nightmare if word leaks out about dishonest practices.

With social networking, you can tell your peers about your new business or blog and discuss how to make it a success.

The conversations that you create can convert many people into loyal fans, so it's worth investing the time.


Asking or Telling


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Social media and social networking do have some overlap, but

they really aren't the same thing.

Knowing that they're two separate marketing concepts can make a

crucial difference in how you position your business going forward.

Social Media and Social Networking


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