Networking – Build Contacts And Open Up Recruitment Opportunities

01/06/2010

By Alex Fradera, Senior Consultant, Consulting and Customer Solutions, SHL Group

The jobs market is extremely competitive at the moment, therefore it’s important for people to stand out from the crowd and networking is an effective way to build contacts and open up recruitment opportunities. Here are some tips for getting into the right situations, and getting the most from them.


A good networker has the right style

Overall it is easier for someone to network effectively if they already have the building blocks in place; for example someone who’s outgoing, charismatic, curious and tough-minded is likely to be good at meeting new people and using situations to their advantage. If this doesn’t describe you,...

...don’t despair - many of the skills needed for networking can be learnt with practice.


Getting the most from networking means following-through

A networking event finds you contacts, but it’s what you do afterwards that makes them. This relies on prospective memory —“remembering to remember” in terms of investigating individuals and connections to your existing network, following-up on promises, making subsequent contact and so on.

Memory can be enhanced by intentional practise, but the quickest route to improvement is accessorising - keeping a notebook handy to write a to-do list after an event is an effective way to ensure you remember information.


Avoid being a networking bore!

It’s also important to note that if you’re telling people stories or sharing anecdotes you must try and remember who you have already told them to — termed destination memory - so you can avoid telling the same people the same story again. This is something we are all fairly bad at — we remember getting new information more than retelling familiar things. Break the cycle by keeping the conversation two-way, ‘asking the other person in’ to the story so you create something new together.

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