According to a recent study, as many as 85% of available jobs are filled through networking.
If anything, these figures give you a glimpse into the value of networking and why it’s worth looking into.
What can networking do for your career? This article looks at this in detail.
Access to Job Opportunities
As evidenced in the study referred to earlier, networking gives you unfettered access opportunities in business, career advancement, and personal growth.
One way this happens is by making you more visible to your networks. This means you are top of their minds when opportunities arise, making them more likely to front your name to take up these opportunities.
To get there, find ways to become recognized as a reliable, knowledgeable and competent individual.
Networking is also a safe bet for people looking to get a good job without a University degree.
You Give Back
When most people think about career networking, they tend to think of it one-way. This is where an individual that needs a job creates relationships with people in influential positions.
This is only one part of the equation. Networking is about building trust and is founded on reciprocity.
Reciprocity is beneficial on two fronts.
The most obvious one is that you get the support of people in your networks. The other one is that you can get a chance to extend a helping hand time and again. This gives you the satisfaction of helping others reach their goals.
Depending on what the people in your circle do, you can find avenues to support them in their endeavors. For example, you can find time to help business people with marketing events and campaigns for their events.
Exchange of Ideas
If you select your networks wisely, you will have access to a vibrant blend of experience, skills, talents, and so on.
While most people take the longer route to access new information by going back to school, you get great ideas and new insights just by interacting with your circle.
Access to these ideas means you bring value into your own job, which allows you to improve the ways in which you do things at work.
An Avenue for Expression
Unlike friends and family, professional networks allow you to share industry information with peers.
Members of your network with whom you share an industry are able to understand challenges, obstacles, and career frustrations just as well as you do.
This kind of support is invaluable.
Within these interactions, you can share trends, thoughts, different ways of improving performance and even brainstorm on practical workplace solutions, while receiving constructive feedback.
Influence Things Positively
The people in professional networks function as influencers who help tilt events in your favor. They can do this by applying pressure at the right points or putting ina good word for you.
In this view, networks can get you your first interview, refer a huge client to your business, or even get you a promotion.
In essence, your networks come in handy to support and help you achieve your personal and professional goals.
Improves Your Mental Health
If you build and nurture professional networks, these interactions morph into personal friendships.
Friendships grow your social circle, improve your scope of influence, and provide all-round support, which is great for your mental health.
When your health is in tip-top shape, you are able to focus better and perform optimally.
It Requires Commitment
One thing to note, however, is that to get these benefits, you will have to work towards building, nurturing, and maintaining these relationships over time.
Similarly, strive to give as much as you get as this is the only way to build long-term, meaningful networks founded on reciprocity.
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