Common Misconceptions About Networking

Networking. It is something done so frequently in business that many people think they know the best way to go about doing it. Do you rush up and shake as many hands as you can at a place? Or perhaps, do you try to collect every business card someone has on them and add them on LinkedIn? Regardless of these strategies, networking itself is vastly significant and we can’t afford to do it incorrectly. Here is a list of some common misconceptions about networking.

 

Time Waster

If you would have asked me five years ago if I thought networking was a waste of time, I would have agreed and said yes. I always thought, networking takes too long and my results would speak for themselves. This is not at all true. Don’t get me wrong, your results do matter. They do. But the second you take the time to share your accomplishments with others, they might tell five people. Those five people will tell another five people and so forth. All this continues until the information you shared with someone falls into the lap of the right person at the right time. Networking is time-consuming, but never time wasting. 

Extroverts= Best Networkers

Networking relies heavily on your personality. It is to see why most people might assume extroverted people are the best at networking. After all, their energy comes from people. This is simply not the truth. Introverts are much better listeners and are better equipped to remember small or minor details forgotten by others  Regardless of your tendencies, you can’t sit around and expect people to come to you. This is not how networking is done.

It’s Who You Know

You may have heard the expression,”It’s not what you know, but who you know”. I don’t disagree with that at all. Yet, I feel a part of that common phrase is missing. Networking is all about who you don’t know.  A better saying would be, “it’s not who you know, but who you should know”

 

Whether you’re new to the concept, or a seasoned veteran, everyone needs to develop the skill of networking. A study by a job placing site, theladders.com, revealed over half of all available jobs are never advertised, which is another big reason why one must learn to network. It can help you or your business reach more people too. I hope this information provided value to you. Best of luck to you and happy networking.