THE BASICS OF NETWORKING

By Wendy Oliveras on Sunday, October 18 2009

Networking is the social act of meeting others and exchanging contact information for the purpose of obtaining business or personal prospects.  It is the ideal chance to share ideas and develop business.  Networking can be in the form of a person-to-person contact, social internet media, email, texting, or a direct telephone conversation.  For our purposes here, however, I would like to focus on the most common networking opportunity, which is attending a formal business function or an informal social networking event.

If you have been invited to a business function and feel a bit shy or maybe even a bit nervous about meeting others, don’t fret. The main purpose of the event is to provide a group of people with similar backgrounds and interests to schmooze and build a contact base for future reference.  Believe me, the more functions you attend, the sooner you will build your list of invaluable contacts.  Of course, there is a certain protocol that you should follow if you want to leave a good impression at any type of networking event.  I have a four suggestions that I would like to share with you as indicated below.

1. Your appearance.  The first thing that people are going to notice about you is how you look and act.  Depending upon the industry and business that you are in, make sure that you dress appropriately to the occasion.  Casual events call for a casual dress code and more formal/business functions call for business attire, i.e., suit.
2. Your biz cards.  Make sure that you have sufficient professional business cards on hand.  Your business cards are a snapshot of what you do for a living and where you work, so make sure that they are clean and unbent.
3. “Three minute rule.”  When you approach someone at an event, do not spend more than three minutes introducing yourself and exchanging cards.  If you find yourself in a small group, say what you have to say and then excuse yourself politely and move on to the next person(s).  Be confident, smile, speak clearly, and keep your discussions brief and general.  The idea is to make the contact and exchange business cards.  Remember, you are there to “work the room” and meet as many people as possible.  Contacts, old and new, are the back bone to any business and are even a great way to assist prospective job seekers.
4. Alcohol.   Nine times out of ten alcohol will be served at your event, so be sure to control what you drink, if you drink.  The worst thing at a networking event is a sloppy drunk that everyone is trying to avoid. 

Overall, use our judgment wisely when networking.  Relax, look good, feel good, and enjoy the event!

Wendy Oliveras is a columnist, author, search consultant, and career planning and development advisor. She can be reached at either (201) 947-6662 or via email wo@oliverascoinc.com.  Please also visit me at http://www.twitter.com/wendyoliveras or http://www.linkedin/in/wendyoliveras.

To view my previous articles, please visit http://www.examiner.com/x-22670-NY-Search-Consultant-Examiner.  Thanks.