"It's not what you know, it's who you know." You may dread the idea of pursuing useful contacts, but the old adage has never lost its relevance.
Although networking can be a stepping stone to better contacts, better prospects and a better career, working the room at office functions is something that fills a lot of people with horror. However, it's a necessary evil. It is not just about ulterior motives and getting what you want, but building up a database of people who can help you and whom you can help in return.
ILLUSTRATION: YU SHA
Networking has become increasingly important for people who want to succeed at work, said Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development adviser Imogen Haslam, especially for those that are disadvantaged in the job market, perhaps following redundancy.
"Informal networking becomes more important the higher up the corporate ladder you go," she said, "and it's really important to keep up to date with what's going on in your professional area. But you must be careful not to drop people when they have ceased to be useful or badmouth contacts to other people."
The more people you know, said Reed Employment's James Reed, the more opportunities you will potentially have and for this reason alone, it is good to try to build your network. He said the best networks are built up over a whole career rather than exploited to serve an hour of need. "Networking is an investment of your time in getting to know people and it is in the long run that networking can lead to interesting new opportunities opening up in your working life."
Company Christmas parties, hospitality events, press conferences and even meeting people from other departments in the lift or canteen provides the opportunity to get your face and name known. Recruitment Web site monster.co.uk managing director, Joe Slavin, suggests having a 90-second "elevator pitch" practised for situations where you might bump into someone who could help you in your career.
"Networking is not something that should be looked down upon," he said, "it's something you need to do when looking to change jobs, along with looking at job adverts and recruitment Web sites. Some people think it's overly sales-like and if they're not sales people, they can't network, but that's not the case."
Slavin cites the "six degrees of separation" rule as an example of how basic networking with family and friends can help lead to contact with somebody you want to speak to. The theory is that there is a chain of people connecting us with every other person in the world, and that there could only be a maximum of six people in that chain. Networking is about working that chain by getting to know people who can put your details in front of the person you are targeting.
Business clubs, working lunches, union meetings and chambers of commerce events can help you meet people in other organizations, while in some professions, such as journalism, public relations and sales, networking can be crucial to success.
Alison Bone, 25, is a financial journalist and said networking is important as it is only by getting to know people and getting them to trust her that they will give her stories. Press and industry events give Bone the chance to meet key players in finance, as well as other journalists.
"I would much rather meet someone face to face and then call them afterwards than just make a cold call, although sometimes I have to do this," she said. "How often I meet my contacts depends, but I try to phone them once a week or at least every two weeks. I don't enjoy the networking side hugely, as sometimes you are only pretending to like people, but it can be fun if you meet nice people."
The key to successful networking is to know what you are aiming to achieve and establishing targets or goals to reach. Without a clear aim, networking is just aimless work-based socializing. Once you know what you need, you can research who and where you need to target to get the results you want.
Having something to trade and appearing interested in other people are important, as networking only works when people give and take. Contacts, phone numbers and industry news are all things to share with people you meet.
Walking into a room full of strangers and interrupting a group of people deep in conversation can be daunting at the best of times. Glenda Stone, CEO of the Aurora Women's Network, advises first-time networkers to look at people's feet. "If someone's feet are pointing directly at the person speaking then they probably don't want to be interrupted. If their body language is more open then they are generally more welcoming when people come and talk to them."
"Networking isn't about selling something but building a rapport," said Speed Networking managing director Atul Patel.
"If someone makes a good impression on you then you are more likely to remember them. If you give over and over again then you will get it back tenfold in the long-term. A common mistake is that people think of networking as a short-term strategy when it is really medium or long-term," Patel said.
Speed Networking arranges speed-networking events around the country. Based on the speed-dating concept, each delegate has 90 seconds with a person before they are moved on to the next. In the space of an hour, each person will have met 15 to 18 others.
"At most networking events, most people find it difficult to meet more than six people," said Patel, "unless they are very good networkers, they don't have the skills to move away from people, break into a group, or get away from someone hogging them."
Rushing in waving your business card and CV is to be avoided, and experts agree you should only offer your card when closing the conversation and agreeing the next steps. "Only exchange business cards if the person is going to be useful to you and you are going to be useful to them. Use them as part of a closing agreement of how you will get in contact again," Stone said.
Keeping a database of who you have spoken to and about what is vital in avoiding any embarrassing mistakes and can be the basis of a comprehensive list of contacts which you can continue to build on.
Relationships need to be maintained so if you said you would call someone, do so, and make sure you return their calls. You will then be remembered as reliable and be at the forefront of people's minds when something crops up that might benefit you.
Networking helped Amy Johnson, 26, a public relations officer, get her name known in the industry and establish a more senior role.
"I'd often run into other PRs at press events and made sure I put myself across as a friend, rather than a competitor. I met a lot of people and it could be hard remembering who worked where," Johnson said. "But when I heard a job would be coming up at a company I really wanted to work for, I contacted somebody I knew there. She put in a good word for me and after an interview, I got the job."
Some industries have specific networking events to put people in contact with one another. These often take the form of breakfast meetings, round-tables or lunches.
Networking is crucial to the outsourcing industry, said Lucy King of the National Outsourcing Association, as it is based on partnerships.
"It's also a great way to find out about industry news and share best practice -- many organizations are still very inexperienced at the outsourcing game and so to get advice and pointers from outsourcing industry veterans can be crucial to the success of their own projects," she said.
So, schmooze or lose, it is your choice.
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