It's not what you know, but who you know

The beautiful thing about my internship is the opportunity I have to network. It seemed so intimidating at first, and I mean who doesn’t get a little nervous at just the thought?! But nevertheless I feel like I may finally be getting a grasp on the concept.

So that being said here are my favourite 5 tips that I have compiled from my experiences, and also from advice from my colleagues:

Tip 1 – Be confident

This applies to so many aspects of the workforce but in regards to networking being able to show that you are confident, even when you may be feeling anything but, is eye catching to those in the room and who knows, they could be potential employers!!

Tip 2 – Know your worth

This is something I learnt from a colleague that you should always be able to tell someone how and why you are valuable in the position you are in, or aspire to be in. Not only does this open up conversation but also it gets them thinking about how you could be valuable to them and that’s never a bad thing either!

Tip 3 – Work the room

Never spend too long with the same group or person. In saying that don’t just end a conversation with someone because you feel you’ve been there too long. Try and talk to a variety of people, even if you’re not sure what you have in common it’s amazing what you will learn from them.

Tip 4 – Make sure you follow up

You put in a lot of effort to meet and get to know people at events and losing contact with them afterwards ends up basically being a waste of your time and effort. Make a conscious effort to keep in touch with your contacts one every month or so, be it an email, quick phone call or engaging over social media. Anything that keeps your name on their radar is positive!

Tip 5 – Engage the other person

Whilst this may seem to almost contradict tip 2, it is important to make sure you don’t talk about yourself TOO much! Obviously you have to talk about yourself so that they get to know you, but try to include some open ended questions like who, what, when and why so that they can’t just answer yes or no. Also, get to know them and show interest in what they do, this will help to find common ground between you both.

 

 Here's a picture from one of the sessions held during the state tourism conference, so many people to meet!!

Anyway I hope some of these tips either help somebody in their networking endeavours or are relatable to situations people have been in before!

Until next time!!

Laura