The Top Networking Blunders
By Careers Desk
Saturday, May 20, 2017.
The job market is saturated with thousands of people that are just as qualified as you. When you were coming out of education you probably had the idealistic view that many of us fall prey to. You might have imagined that you would have your dream job in a matter of weeks. Now it’s months down the line and you still don’t feel like you’re anywhere closer. One of the best ways to set yourself apart from the competition is to network. It gives you a chance to show off to potential employers without having to get through endless rounds of job applications to get to an interview.
Networking isn’t as easy as just setting up a LinkedIn profile and messaging a few employers. It might sound simple but fruitful networking is actually quite complex. Making the wrong impression can really harm your career prospects so you can’t afford any mistakes. These are some of the most common networking blunders that could prevent you from getting work.
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Don’t Rely On Social Media
Social media is a great way of networking, if you stand out from the crowd online it can help you get opportunities. You can use it to easily find new contacts and information about companies, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking that just using social media is enough. Proper networking means meeting people face to face. You are much more likely to make a lasting impression that way. Industry leaders probably get thousands of messages and contacts on social media all of the time so you’re going to have trouble dazzling them online. Meeting them for lunch will give you an opportunity to showcase your skills face to face.
Quantity Over Quality
There’s always a few people at networking events that are determined to meet every single person in the room. They come armed with a handful of business cards and a rehearsed introduction and jump around the room shaking hands with everybody they can find. They think that this will give them a better chance of seeing a return on their networking investment. The reality is that they probably won’t even be remembered. The people at these events have seen it time and time again, and it doesn’t show real initiative. The people that they are going to remember are the ones that they have had an interesting conversation with, the ones that show passion for their chosen industry. When you are at an event, don’t worry if you’ve only spoken to a few people. As long as that conversation was stimulating, you can consider it a success.
Not Following Up
There’s no use coming back from an event with a pocketful of business cards if you aren’t going to contact any of them. It seems obvious but you’d be surprised how many people do it. It doesn’t have to be anything major, just a quick email to say it was nice meeting them the other night will ensure that you stay in their mind. You never know, they might just think of you the next time they have a job opening.
