It sounds either obvious or insulting, but the way you approach your networking should vary based on your age. An experienced business veteran of 40 years shouldn't create and build relationships like a 22-year-old college grad. So when looking at how those under 30, and especially under 25, approach networking, we have to be clear about the opportunities and obstacles they face. The business environment, the world they’ve grown up in, and the fact that they are at the beginning of your career create a unique combination. On the whole, when you are at the beginning of your career, you have more flexibility and freedom. You have more … [Read more...]
How Ambitious College Grads Can Network Better
The first few years after college can be exciting: The freedom, the friends, the fun. It's also stressful. You have to find your place in the world, figure out how you're going to pay the rent, and what you want to do with your career. Building a strong professional network around you is important for your short-term career success. More importantly, though, it's how you can plant seeds that you can harvest the rest of your life. This is especially true because the work world continues to become more and more mobile. If you're a recent grad, you’ve probably seen statistics quoted with the average number of jobs you will have in … [Read more...]
A Simple Step that Helps Millennials Start Professional Conversations
Are Millennials better or worse at interacting on a one-on-one basis because of the prevalence of technology in their lives? I’m not sure what the long-term effects of growing up in a world of computers and cellphones will be. However, watching high school and college students communicate leads me to believe that texting and digital communication have affected their “in-person” communication skills (but that is a completely unscientific observation). When looking at what skills to develop, face-to-face communication is a critical place to start. The more effectively you interact with others, both online and off-line, the more powerful … [Read more...]
How to Network Above Your Pay Grade and Move Up the Ladder Yourself
You might feel comfortable networking with your peers, but what about networking with professionals who are more senior in age, experience, job title, or reputation? It’s easy to think of networking as “peer-to-peer”, but the real world is rarely that simple. Learning how to interact and engage with people who are more established in their careers is a key skill. It’s the same conundrum that you face when looking for your first job: companies want to hire someone with experience, but how can you get experience if they won’t hire you? First of all, remember that you don’t need a network of CEOs and presidents to be successful. You can … [Read more...]