10 Simple Tips to Be a Professional Networking Superstar!

Job search sites and LinkedIn are awesome, but learning how to network is a powerful career tool. Here are 10 simple business networking tips from guest host and uber-networker Steve Johnson!

Check out Steve channels, y'all. He is the bomb-diggity!

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[louloureads]

I go to a reasonable number of academic conferences and find networking INCREDIBLY difficult. I also find the concept of "networking" in academia, which (at least in the UK) is overwhelmingly introverted, a bit odd. Yet I know that, at the end of my PhD, being able to get a decent "real" job somewhere will rely largely on my professional contacts--so I feel the pressure to network very much. This was really helpful, thank you.

[TheKchar]

Great tips! I have found that finding some personal details out about the people also helps and remembering 1 or 2 as an easy conversation starter. I keep notes in my contacts about them (just point form) so it's an easy conversation starter. I know that I like it when people remember the personal tidbits about me do I try to reciprocate. Whether it's they love historic fiction, canoeing, golf, their kids or animal, it's a nice way to add a personal touch. I am a girl in a male driven field who is an introvert so it helps me approach people in a friendly way. You won't use this unless you've run into them before but it has helped me get introductions to others!

[hereverydayadventure]

This is the most helpful episode ever! I'm in the final quarter of my undergrad and in that whole not just job but CAREER searching stage of life and I find networking incredibly awkward and do feel a little sleazy and underhanded when I ask professional people for favors so the points in this video were practically MADE for me! Thank you.

[Filet]

Cold e-mailing is quite helpful and often not talked about much. I do it by saying my name, what I'm interested in, and why I think the person I want to talk to (the recipient) is cool. Then end by asking if they have 5-10 minutes to talk over the phone.

[intriguedchicken]

but... but... networking requires talking to people... *hides under pillow fort*

[BriWhoSaysNi]

Such a helpful video!
I would also like to add that for people in college/uni, your professors can actually be a great resource. If there's a professor you really like who is in the field you're interested in, shoot them an e-mail or visit their office hours and ask for some advice. They might personally be able to help you, or they might be able to connect you with someone else who can. After all, these are people who have done work in their field out in the world, who know how hard starting out can be, and who have already done a lot of networking.

[michellealvarez]

Thank you so much for this video, strangely topical for me right now. Needed the reminder about not apologizing. Apologizing is in my nature, it's hard to remember that most people actually are understanding.

[KeyonThomas]

Build a CRM. It is a software to manage your contacts. A good free one is CapsuleCRM. A good paid one is Pipedrive which allows you to put people into a pipeline or progress tract in your relationship.

[abyssaljuggler]

one of the best videos this channel has done! well done!

[desolatebliss]

Yassss. I need to really work on this! Thanks for the video!!

[siennamooney]

steve is always on point when it comes to this stuff!! definitely filing these in the memory bank for future networking events. also, just a side note: the annotations at the end are very confusing because they all come up at once!

[yvonnemoore]

Thank you this was very helpful I'm hosting my first network group meeting and I'm going to open with this video!!!! Thanks again! Good Stuff!

[NathanTalbott]

all good, solid tips! definitely adding this to mah favorites list

[HennyMusgrove]

I need a set of greeting cards that says "YOU ARE THE BOMB-DIGGITY" on the cover. Appropriate for all card-giving occasions except for maybe funerals and even then we just need a past tense version.

[AveryMorrow]

The most confused I've been about networking is when I go to a "networking event" or am otherwise told to network. When I'm at a conference or just meeting new people in the course of everyday work... I seem to receive business cards and helpful tips pretty easily!

[ashleyness]

This is great! Thanks for the tips. My biggest issues with networking are follow through and cold emails. I tend to be a bit verbose and a bit of a perfectionist, so sometimes I put things off so long that I feel weird reaching out when I feel like I should have already gotten to it weeks ago.

[HarryPotterFreakLena]

This is super helpful. So far, I always felt insecure and somewhat out of place when I attended networking events 

[ljmastertroll]

Good info.  Now I just have to learn how to deal with real people!

[sheem.]

really good advice. Especially for network marketing

[ChoxTheMuse]

Great tips! Thanks for the great video =)