Networking tips (including go-to courses!)

Chances are, since you’re here on LinkedIn, you’ve already started to build or expand your professional network. Any time you connect with someone new, update your profile, or interact with a post, you’re making progress toward building your network.

We are excited to be back discussing career growth and development with you. So far, we’ve considered professional development goals, built a career development plan, and explored how to find a mentor. This week, we’ll talk about growing another aspect of your professional support system—your network.

Networking is all about building relationships with other people in your field or industry. In other words, it’s the social side of being a professional where you get to meet like-minded people, share perspectives, and swap leads on new job prospects.

As you grow your career, your professional network can be a strong source of knowledge, support, and opportunity for you to tap into. Looking to gain new skills? Your network can connect you with the resources and expertise you’ll need to develop them. Want a new job to apply those skills? Your network can open up the “hidden job market” to you, in which unpublished open roles are yet to be filled.  

Networking can be particularly helpful if you’re changing careers. Consider reaching out to people who have made similar career changes in the past as well as long-time industry veterans. You can learn about successful career-change pathways and identify valuable transferable skills from people who have already done what you are now hoping to accomplish. Meanwhile, industry veterans will be intimately familiar with the field you’re hoping to enter, so can offer a knowledgeable perspective on current industry trends.

Here are some quick tips for building your network:

1. Get clear on your goals. Think about what it is that you want to accomplish through networking, and then determine what people or organizations are best positioned to help you do it. Your goals can be as big or small as you want.
2. Think about who you already know. You may already have more contacts than you realize. Consider reaching out to friends, former classmates, coworkers, or colleagues you already know.
3. Explore open networks. There’s a trove of networking opportunities out there for you. See what communities you can tap into on social media, online forums, websites, or real-life meet-ups hosted by professional organizations.
4. Actively engage. You’ll likely get back the same energy that you put into your network, so keep showing up and putting in the effort to maintain your connections. Relationships are two-sided, so make yourself visible and available to your current and future connections. (Start by updating your LinkedIn profile!)

If networking isn’t your forte, don’t worry. Think about the relationships in your life that work best for you, and consider how you can replicate those types of relationships in a professional setting. The most beneficial relationships will be the ones in which you feel comfortable being open and honest about who you are and who you are becoming, and there are endless ways to develop those kinds of relationships.

Explore more

Find even more networking tips in our guide, or if you prefer learning via video, the University System of Georgia’s Successful Career Development course has modules on finding a mentor, growing your network, and using LinkedIn effectively.

To build your social confidence, try the University of Michigan’s Emotional Intelligence: Cultivating Immensely Human Interactions. In this course, you’ll explore relationship-building techniques that can enable you to cultivate deeper connections with others.

To expand your people skills, check out IBM’s People and Soft Skills for Professional and Personal Success Specialization. In addition to a course dedicated to interpersonal skills—which covers networking necessities like communication styles and active listening—you’ll explore interactive topics like collaboration and presentations.

Finally, to be a more confident speaker, try the University of London’s (free!) course, Finding Your Professional Voice: Confidence & Impact. This 9-hour course explores your physical speaking voice and offers guidance on how to speak more clearly and confidently in order to build stronger connections with others.

Next week, we’re going to close out our career growth series with an issue on work-life balance. In the meantime, we can always use some real-life inspiration—share your networking success stories in the comments. See you there!