I recently got a text from a former colleague — she wanted me to know she appreciated something I had done for her, and how it’s now helping her as she’s taking on a challenging project.
She didn’t have to reach out. She wasn’t looking for anything from me. But she thought of me and used it as an opportunity to further nurture our relationship.
On the flip side, I’ve had people send me their resume because they were applying for a job at the company where I worked. But, some of them hadn’t reached out to me in half a decade or more, so I don’t remember them or their work quality well enough to give them a glowing recommendation.
When you feel safe, secure and comfortable in your current job, it can be easy to forget to nurture your professional contacts.
But networking, no matter where you’re at in your career, is incredibly important. When you reach out because you actually need their help, it’ll feel genuine and authentic.
That said, here are three tips for networking, even when you think you don’t need to.
1. Set a Goal For Yourself
My first job out of college was at a Michigan-based PR agency. One of the agency’s two founders used to sit at his desk with a pair of scissors and every regional publication and snip articles of companies or professionals he wanted to get to know. (Of course, this was before newspapers went online when we sifted through sections instead of scrolling.)
And that’s how he built his robust client base — he would send them a hard copy of the article with a handwritten note detailing how he enjoyed reading their news story and how to get a hold of him if they ever needed to do business with him one day.
It was genuine, it was authentic and it paid huge dividends in building the agency into a PR powerhouse.
So set a goal for yourself to reach out to people in your network every week, month or quarter. It could be over social media, in person, on the phone or via email, and it doesn’t matter what you say as long as it’s coming from a place of sincerity.
You don’t need to say much to keep yourself in the back of someone’s mind, but you do need to say something.
2. Start With the Low-Hanging Fruit
Most of us learned how to ride a bike when we were kids, and the first one we tried was a big wheel or tricycle. Then we leveled up to training wheels, and finally the real thing.
We took these steps so that it didn’t feel scary riding a two-wheeler right away. Your parents stood behind you, held the back of your seat and provided you with a bit of balance, so when you got comfortable you could ride without them.
Networking is the same thing.
Start with the people you already know — keep the connections alive with old colleagues, former managers (even from internships), college friends, etc. Then build your way up to acquaintances, and finally to people you don’t know, but want to know.
Sometimes, there may be people who won’t connect with you on LinkedIn or return your email. But we don’t grow without feeling uncomfortable, and the only way to get comfortable with it is to do it.
3. Prioritize Networking
Professional networking is an investment in your future, but when you’re juggling your current job, family, home and the day-to-day surprises of life, it can be tough to remember to flex that muscle.
I know because I was in the same boat once.
My husband and I both worked demanding full-time jobs — raising two young kids in the process — and I got away from networking with people who weren’t in my immediate circle of who I worked and talked with on a regular basis.
Then one day, I found out my company was going through a merger and there was a chance I could lose my job. That scared me a lot, because I hadn’t prioritized building and nurturing my network of contacts who I could rely on during my potential job search. So, I changed.
I joined the local chapter of my professional association, and got heavily involved. I went to events, I joined committees, I got to know the people within my industry and soon I built a healthy, authentic network of professionals I could count on in a pinch — and vice versa.
Figure out what you can make time for — when you have young kids or are working 60+ hours a week, it’s hard to find that time. So you have to prioritize the moments that are most important and impactful to you.
If there’s a will, there’s a way, so if you make networking a priority, you can make the time for it just like anything else in your life.