Do you want to meet more people in the professional world? What types of jobs require you to network to succeed?
Networking skills are an important part of building a successful career. Networking, according to Jeffrey Pfeffer, involves building, maintaining, and using informal relationships to gain power.
Below we’ll explore the two best networking tips for beginners.
How to Network
Some jobs, like project management, are what Pfeffer calls “networking jobs,” as they involve connecting people from different parts of the company and facilitating relationships. But whether your job directly involves networking or not, the ability to network will help in almost any career path you choose. Furthermore, though some people are naturally gifted at networking and social engagements, anyone can learn how to network.
To help you build a large and powerful network, Pfeffer provides some helpful networking tips for beginners:
Tip #1: Make Networking a Priority
Pfeffer claims that, for various reasons, many people just don’t put in the necessary time and effort to network and gain social capital. Some people think it’s more advantageous to spend their time on the job itself rather than networking, while others feel it’s unethical to build relationships for such selfish reasons.
However, numerous studies show that networking is a crucial part of progressing your career. The author therefore argues that you need to get over your qualms and put in the effort to build social ties.
(Shortform note: Beyond career advancement, networking offers several additional advantages. For instance, it allows for people with diverse backgrounds and skill sets to exchange knowledge and ideas, which can lead to new innovations. Social ties are also a key source of emotional support, which can be crucial for personal development and resilience in challenging work environments. Finally, connections with important people in an industry will help you stay informed about market trends and opportunities, improving your ability to navigate and adapt to changes in the job market.)
With that said, networking doesn’t always mean going out of your way to attend events and conventions, or to ingratiate yourself with prominent people in your field. In fact, Pfeffer says that the easiest way to forge new connections is simply to be kind and generous in your day-to-day life.
So, when someone is talking to you, listen actively and ask questions to show you’re interested. Invite a coworker to have lunch with you, accept invitations to social events, or offer to buy your colleagues a round of drinks after work. Small acts like these will go a long way toward building a relationship, and thus expanding your network.
(Shortform note: While it’s certainly useful to have people who like you on a personal level, the benefits of kindness and generosity go well beyond having individual people owe you favors. In Thou Shall Prosper, Rabbi Daniel Lapin explains that a good reputation is one of the most profitable “assets” you can have. This is because people whom you haven’t directly helped will be more willing to do business with you and support your ideas if you’re known for being a good person. Furthermore, the opposite is also true: If you have a reputation for being selfish or cruel, that can discourage people from working with you and severely undermine your power.)
Tip #2: Focus on Quantity Over Quality
Finally, Pfeffer argues that your networking should prioritize building “weak ties”—meaning casual relationships that don’t involve too much interaction—with as many people as possible.
The author says that weak ties are more valuable to your career for two key reasons. Firstly, weak ties are likely to introduce you to new people and organizations that will increase your social capital. Secondly, it takes minimal time and effort to create a weak tie with someone, meaning you can gather a large number of weak ties that connect you to a vast and diverse network.
As an additional tip, don’t restrict yourself to forming ties only within your own industry because you never know which ties could prove useful later. For example, say you volunteer for a local charity and get to know a few of the board members. Then, if your boss mentions that she’d like to host a charity event, you can offer to connect her with the executives of that charity. Now the power you built outside of your company is helping you build power inside of it as well.
Conversely, “strong ties” refers to your relationships with your family and closest friends. Such relationships are certainly rewarding in their own ways, but they aren’t a good way to build power.
Pfeffer explains that this is largely because your closest friends and family probably have similar social circles to you, meaning they won’t help your influence spread as far. Therefore, trying to build power by forging strong connections is very inefficient—you’ll spend a great deal of time and effort maintaining those close friendships, yet end up with a relatively small network.
