text: Irina Voiculescu

illustration: Larisa Petcut

 

Networking guide

 

The online environment...as informative and useful as it is tiring...

You know that moment when you're bombarded with information, terms and concepts meant to make your life easier, but instead you feel overwhelmed and disoriented trying to piece together every piece you discover? In this article I tried to complete a concept that is becoming more and more promoted, namely the networking. You may have already seen that HerTime Romania is the first networking platform for young women in Romania, but what exactly does this entail?

 

01. What is networking?

It's a very effective way to create connections and relationships that could help you professionally in the future. By sharing common interests and professions with other people, you can learn more about the field you are interested in, get contacts and have greater accessibility to jobs.

Basically, networking is about knowledge, professional and personal development, and making well-informed decisions on your career path.

 

02. 3 reasons why you should try networking

• "Knowledge is power"! Regardless of the field, knowing people who already have experience is a big advantage. Industries are competitive, it doesn't hurt to get an extra referral or even find out about a job opening before the ad goes public.
• The exchange of ideas that networking offers you helps you see other perspectives on areas of interest, discover new things through which to develop or inspire you to make certain choices, even changes in your life.
• It increases your confidence in your abilities. The whole process of actively doing something to grow as a person and professionally, getting involved in certain projects and developing the courage to speak up about the things that matter to you makes you discover an inner will and determination that you may not have known you had you have

 

03. How to network?

Maybe it all sounds quite complex and idealistic, but surprisingly, it is much easier and more accessible than it seems. I say this precisely because networking is something we do very often without even realizing it and something that can be practiced almost anywhere.

Theoretically, the best ways of networking are clubs or events specially dedicated to this, or, of course, LinkedIn or Facebook groups. In reality, you can do networking at any kind of social event, in groups of friends, getting involved in volunteering, camps, in short, anything that means interacting with other people. Initiative and openness are, in fact, the key!

Building new relationships can seem a little scary at first, so it's understandable why when you add the goal of getting professional help, worries and insecurities start to emerge. In order to calm the thoughts that want to sabotage us and to have a clearer vision of what it is recommended to do, we have also chosen some tips to get you started:

• First, look around you – Now is the perfect time to send a message to an old friend, an ex-colleague you haven't spoken to, talk stories and maybe, who knows, an unexpected opportunity will arise. In the same vein, you can try to get to know better the people with whom you have already interacted but with whom you did not get to form a very close bond. The best start to networking is in the circles you are already familiar with.
• Don't leave it as an emergency option – It's much harder to get professional opportunities through networking when you really need them. Generally, people can tell when you're just trying to take advantage of them and not looking for a relationship based on trust and mutual help. Therefore, try to start early, when the only thing you need is to build a good reputation and form connections that you can call on in the future.
• The battle plan – I was talking earlier about the insecurities at the beginning of the journey. What can be very helpful, especially if you are an anxious person or simply want to have more confidence in your abilities, is to write down everything you want to highlight about yourself before a networking event. Write down all your qualities, strengths, what you, in turn, can offer to other people, what you expect from the event, and anything that comes to your mind to help you get organized. This way, you will know what to talk about and what are the goals you want to achieve.
• Find the people you resonate with – Instead of focusing on the professional side, it is more useful to start conversations by talking about passions and interests, listening to people's stories as much as possible, letting your curiosity help you in discovering those people with common ideologies and passions. It is more important to form a close connection first than to run after a professional opportunity.
• Offer your help – The simple principle of "kindness attracts kindness". You are much more likely to find the help you are looking for when you show that you are available to give yours. By asking first if you can be of service in any way, you win the other person's appreciation from the start.
• Keep the links (Follow up) – Seriousness is demonstrated and trust is earned. Contact the people you've met if you promised to, help where you've secured help, and try not to lose sight of all the hard work you've put in to get to this point.

 

04. Feminist networking

The feminist view of networking is based on creating these connections between people who resonate with the feminist movement, to fight together against discrimination of any kind. The purpose of all feminist NGOs, pages, groups and events is to form a safe and open space for expression and mutual support, to share information gathered, to encourage dialogue, to raise feminist awareness and to provide opportunities for development professional, cultural and personal.

What I want you to be left with from this great concentration of information is that we need people around us. This whole race called life cannot be run all the time on your own and I think it is important to form relationships, to keep with us new people from whom we can learn and to constantly continue to evolve.

After all, social networks, as chaotic as they are, have managed to break down the barriers of distance and connect people from all over the world, and this facilitation of networking is nothing but a great advantage for all of us.

Sources:

https://www.careereducation.columbia.edu/resources/what-networking-and-why-do-you-need-do-it

https://www.betterup.com/blog/networking

https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2014/07/28/how-to-network-the-right-way-eight-tips/?sh=38075f536d47

https://www.michaelpage.ch/advice/career-advice/job-search-advice/importance-networking