When networking, even little habits can make you much better at forging strong professional connections.Adding a few small actions to your repertoire at networking events will make you more memorable and help you add the best people to your circle.
1. Have Goals
Before you head out to a networking event, decide what you want to get out of the experience. It's best to have general networking goals as well as event-specific goals. For example, looking for a mentor makes sense at any networking event. Building a strong network of people who know how to code could be more event-specific.
This practice helps you seek out and have the right kinds of conversations at an event. If you know going in that you want to find someone who can build a website, you'll keep your ear out for it: Otherwise you might not notice those important details.
2. Give Informal Interviews
People like to talk about themselves, so give them a chance. When you're talking to someone new, ask lots of questions. It's not that you should avoid talking about yourself entirely: Have a natural back and forth where you're both contributing to the conversation. As you do this, however, make sure you're actually learning about the other person, not just waiting for your opportunity to talk.
Also, pay attention to the kinds of questions you ask. You can have a few questions prepared to ask if the conversations lulls, but otherwise try to avoid sounding rehearsed. Build your questions off of what the other person is saying, even if it's as simple as asking to expand on a point.
3. Ask for Favors
You probably think that doing a favor for someone is a great way to get them to like you. In fact, the opposite is true: According to Forbes, people are more likely to like people they do favors for than vice-versa. Doing a favor for someone doesn't have a negative impact, but when someone does a favor for you, the brain justifies that by saying, "You like this person."
Not only will you get to make the person you're talking to feel useful, it's the perfect opportunity to facilitate a follow-up. For example, if someone mentions an interesting article, you can ask him or her to send it your way as you hand out a business card. Now the person has your information and a reason to contact you.
4. Become a Regular
If you attend an event that meets on a repeating schedule, go as often as you can. Eventually people will start to recognize you, and your contacts will be much stronger. When someone is asked about you, you want his or her response to be, "Oh, John is great!" not, "John? I think I met him once at an event. I'm not really sure."
By regularly attending events, you're increasing the people who will give the first reaction. These solid contacts are more likely to think of you for opportunities and recommend you to people in their network. These are the kinds of connections that yield the best results, so you should be doing everything in your power to build them.
5. Follow Up
If you have a real conversation with someone at a networking event, you should always talk to that person a second time. Although it's easy to think that one conversation is enough, a lot of conversations happen at a networking event. Even though this contact is standing out in your mind, unfortunately you might not be standing out in his or hers.
You can make an impression, though, if you follow up. Make sure to include some detail that you talked about so that the other person remembers who you are. This way your contact information is known, and you're more likely to come to mind in the future.
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