BLOG: The art of professional networking

Over the last few months, I have been reminded of how important it is to dedicate time to network. By creating a robust network, you gain access to a 24/7 resource you can tap into for guidance, referrals, connections and new opportunities. Most of us would agree that networking is critical for professional success, yet very few have mastered it. Why not? I think it boils down to three reasons.

1. We don’t understand how to network.

2. We fear rejection.

3. We think networking requires too much time.

Wellentina Greer

The reality is that many of us allow one or all of these reasons to put networking on the backburner. So instead of working the room, we make a beeline to socialize with the people we already know. After the event is over, we realize we had a great time catching up with friends, but we missed a valuable opportunity to grow our network. While the temptation is to say “someday,” I challenge you to make networking a priority today and every day. Here are a few networking tips to help get you started.

Build your personal brand

Develop a strong LinkedIn profile by including a photo (I highly recommend a professional headshot rather than a selfie), selecting key words that make it easy for people to find you, featuring recommendations from high-profile members of your network, providing a concise summary of career accomplishments and posting on relevant topics that make you a subject matter expert.

Seek out opportunities to increase your visibility within the ophthalmic industry. Becoming a member of professional organizations like OWL instantly puts you in front of hundreds of new contacts.

Get involved. Whether you take on a leadership role, join a committee or help with administrative paperwork, these volunteer efforts lay the foundation for forming deep and meaningful relationships.

Do your homework

Target your network. Let’s use the upcoming OWL event during the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting to play out an example. You would start by reviewing OWL’s membership list and identifying three to five people you want in your network. Look them up on LinkedIn and find out what connections you have in common. Next, reach out to your mutual connection and ask for an e-introduction prior to the event. During the email exchange, you can extend the invitation to connect at OWL. This exercise is far more productive than just showing up.

Use other social media channels to see what you have in common with your target network. Armed with this information, you can remove some of the awkwardness by striking up a conversation about something you know you have in common.

Develop your elevator pitch. A good networking elevator pitch is a concise and persuasive speech you use to spark interest in yourself. It is the 20- to 30-second speech that summarizes who you are, your expertise and what makes you unique. The key is to practice, practice, practice your networking elevator pitch so that it is natural, sincere and engaging. This is a critical step if you want to work a room.

Foster relationships

Show genuine interest in the other person by asking questions, making eye contact and focusing intently on what he or she is saying. In doing so, you will keep the conversation balanced rather than making it all about you.

Remember names. This is really hard to do for some of us, but try using people’s names throughout the conversation. This will help you remember their names and make them feel special. Once you do that, they will remember you!

Follow up after the networking event via email or with a traditional notecard to let the person know how much you enjoyed meeting him or her. If this is someone you want to get to know more, suggest a follow-up phone call, coffee or lunch.

Get going

Set goals for each event you are attending to hold yourself accountable and avoid becoming a wallflower. Goals can be anything from the number of target individuals you meet, to meaningful conversations, to how often you give your elevator pitch.

Preselect the networking events you will attend. With the AAO congress just around the corner, you have plenty of opportunities.

Show up and start engaging. If you did your homework and have a strong elevator pitch, it will not only be easy, but fun.

While networking can be time consuming, the rewards are worth the effort. After all, you never know who in your network will someday help you land your next dream job, challenge you to think more creatively or just flat-out push you to the next level. Why wait? Start networking today!

Wellentina Greer, Global Strategic Marketing, can be reached at email: wellentinag@gmail.com; website: www.wellamedmarketing.com.