Hisham Sarwar
Once people graduate, they try feverishly to build up their professional contacts. In doing so, they make plenty of mistakes. These mistakes result in their emails not getting enough attention and the introductions lead them nowhere. Networking isn’t like a cup of tea which you can have while having chitchat.
Also, it is also not about handing your business card to someone and just walking away. Connecting on LinkedIn without any sort of follow-up also is not called the effective networking. Networking is basically to step up out of your comfort zone, put in time and effort, and do your homework.
Following are the few mistakes which you need to avoid while networking.
Not managing your ask:
Just sending in a friendly LinkedIn invitation or email to a person does not mean that they will uncover the blankets of their own network to you. Instead of asking the new person to recommend your new nosiness to other people, see if that person is willing to make an introduction to that one person you have interest in meeting.
Talking about yourself:
Networking should not be considered as an outlet for self-promotion only; you need to resist the temptation of showing your own accomplishments all the time. It is an opportunity to know about other people with a more balanced conversational approach for building a beneficial relationship.
Assuming yourself as a priority:
Assuming your needs and goals as other people’s first priority is ridiculous. The reality is that you connect with people who are already busy and they have a lot on their own. So have patience as you will have to wait a reasonable amount of time for getting a response.
Extracting for yourself:
Considering networking as just an opportunity to get more from other people is wrong. The point of building a relationship in networking is that you need to bring something for the other person too.
Not being gracious:
Neglecting the power of the magic words; thank you can have a bad influence on your relationship. You networking contact aren’t bound to help you. Any kind of help from your contact should be properly acknowledged and appreciated.
Via: Business Insider
