You need to be thoughtful and proactive about relationship-building to have quality relationships with mentors, colleagues in different departments, colleagues at different levels, and people outside your employer:
- Set aside specific time to expand your professional network.
- Work on your communication skills and style.
- Follow up over time to ensure relationships develop naturally and are not rushed.
People are busy, and you are busy. If you wait for an opportune time to start building your network, you will not find one. There is no urgency to day-to-day networking, so it will be set aside for a later time that never comes. Instead, schedule a few hours each week with the goal of expanding your professional network. You might set aside one lunch hour per week to eat with a different colleague. You might join a professional association and attend their meetings and mixers. One new teacher volunteered to be her school’s union representative. She wanted to learn about the union, and though she was new, she was the only one who volunteered, so it was great exposure in her very first year. You might play on your employer’s softball league. You might volunteer to organize the office holiday party. Many opportunities exist to meet a diverse mix of professionals both inside and outside your employer, but you have to consciously set aside the time to do this.
Are you comfortable introducing yourself to people and telling them what you do? Networking is one of the six job search steps, so you probably have worked on your networking pitch to get a job, but in the daily work context, your pitch is about what you do now. Plan and practice what you will say.
If the thought of joining a professional association and going to meetings makes you uncomfortable, consider joining with a more extroverted buddy. The softball league or a volunteer committee might provide a structured outlet for your networking. Find a colleague who isn’t shy and ask them to introduce you to people. People are often very happy to help and may not realize you are shy. Let your boss know that you are trying to meet people, and ask him or her to introduce you to people.
Once you meet people, make time to maintain and expand relationships over time. It is impossible to schedule regular live contact with everyone in your professional network—colleagues, customers, vendors, management, former colleagues (as you progress in your career), and people in your related function or industry. However, you can keep in touch with phone calls and e-mails. The same spirit of generosity applies as you expand and deepen relationships—maintain contact without asking for anything in return.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Mentors are an important part of your professional network to provide advice and a sounding board for ideas and concerns.
- Do not use your boss or your boss’s boss as your mentor, so you can candidly speak about your issues and get an objective, outside perspective.
- Several types of mentors are available: guardian angel, shepherd, and board of directors. Ideally, you have several mentors.
- You develop strong mentorships naturally by meeting with people and letting relationships grow.
- Be a good mentee by being proactive and flexible about scheduling, and by being responsive to your mentor’s needs.
- In addition to mentors, you want to develop relationships with people at all levels, in different departments, and inside and outside your company.
- Build relationships proactively by setting aside time to meet people and practicing how you will introduce yourself.
EXERCISES
- Do you currently have mentors in your life? Pick one area of your life that you wish to improve, and try to find a mentor for that area.
- Think about your one-year, two-year, and longer-term goals. What areas do you already know would benefit from some mentoring? Think about who might be ideal mentors for those areas. Can you start meeting these people now? Remember that you want to have mentors both inside and outside your employer, so you can start even before you are hired.
- Look at the suggestions for building your professional network and decide which ones appeal to you. If the idea of a membership group appeals to you, can you join something now? Professional associations often have student chapters or other groups for people new to the career.
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