{"id":7507,"date":"2020-10-04T22:36:48","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T05:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/?p=7507"},"modified":"2021-09-15T22:01:47","modified_gmt":"2021-09-16T05:01:47","slug":"7-professional-networking-tips-for-a-successful-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/7-professional-networking-tips-for-a-successful-career\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Professional Networking Tips for a Successful Career"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nearly 80% of professionals agree that professional networking is a valuable tool for career progression [<a href=\"https:\/\/news.linkedin.com\/2017\/6\/eighty-percent-of-professionals-consider-networking-important-to-career-success\">1<\/a>]. Even so, one-quarter of currently-employed adults do not engage in active professional networking, and 38% of those who do struggle to maintain contact with their network.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_50 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\" role=\"button\"><label for=\"item-6a0b190b8284c\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-6a0b190b8284c\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/7-professional-networking-tips-for-a-successful-career\/#How_To_Build_Better_Professional_Connections\" title=\"How To Build Better Professional Connections\">How To Build Better Professional Connections<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/7-professional-networking-tips-for-a-successful-career\/#1_Do_Not_Underestimate_The_Importance_Of_Good_Face-To-Face_Interaction\" title=\"1. Do Not Underestimate The Importance Of (Good) Face-To-Face Interaction\">1. Do Not Underestimate The Importance Of (Good) Face-To-Face Interaction<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/7-professional-networking-tips-for-a-successful-career\/#2_Understand_High-Efficiency_Professional_Social_Media_Activity\" title=\"2. Understand High-Efficiency Professional Social Media Activity\">2. Understand High-Efficiency Professional Social Media Activity<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/7-professional-networking-tips-for-a-successful-career\/#How_To_Make_Use_of_Professional_Networks\" title=\"How To Make Use of Professional Networks\">How To Make Use of Professional Networks<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/7-professional-networking-tips-for-a-successful-career\/#3_Understand_The_Rules_Of_Professional_Leverage\" title=\"3. Understand The Rules Of Professional Leverage\">3. Understand The Rules Of Professional Leverage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/7-professional-networking-tips-for-a-successful-career\/#4_Understand_What_Your_Professional_Networks_Can_Cannot_Do_For_You\" title=\"4. Understand What Your Professional Networks Can (&amp; Cannot) Do For You\">4. Understand What Your Professional Networks Can (&amp; Cannot) Do For You<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/7-professional-networking-tips-for-a-successful-career\/#How_To_Network_While_You_Are_Not_Exploring_The_Job_Market\" title=\"How To Network While You Are Not Exploring The Job Market\">How To Network While You Are Not Exploring The Job Market<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/7-professional-networking-tips-for-a-successful-career\/#5_Pinpoint_High-Value_Contacts\" title=\"5. Pinpoint High-Value Contacts\">5. Pinpoint High-Value Contacts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/7-professional-networking-tips-for-a-successful-career\/#6_Know_When_When_Not_To_Use_Social_Media\" title=\"6. Know When (&amp; When Not) To Use Social Media\">6. Know When (&amp; When Not) To Use Social Media<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/7-professional-networking-tips-for-a-successful-career\/#7_Turn_Contacts_Into_Reciprocal_Relationships\" title=\"7. Turn Contacts Into Reciprocal Relationships\">7. Turn Contacts Into Reciprocal Relationships<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/7-professional-networking-tips-for-a-successful-career\/#About_BC_Jobs\" title=\"About BC Jobs\">About BC Jobs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>What is the most significant cause of this networking neglect? Insufficient time for cultivating helpful connections. Use the following techniques to get significantly better returns for every minute spent on networking.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_To_Build_Better_Professional_Connections\"><\/span>How To Build Better Professional Connections<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Any person exploring jobs in Vancouver or any other job market can benefit from leveraging professional contacts. However, the success of your network outreach depends on the quality of the connections you make.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Do_Not_Underestimate_The_Importance_Of_Good_Face-To-Face_Interaction\"><\/span>1. Do Not Underestimate The Importance Of (Good) Face-To-Face Interaction<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Though many professionals today prefer remote work, virtual meetings, and networking via social media, in-person touchpoints continue to be the most valuable professional networking moments.<\/p>\n<p>That said, candidates seeking jobs in Vancouver and other competitive job markets must understand their own communicative strengths and weaknesses; attempting to engage in ways that are inauthentic and\/or uncomfortable will likely yield underwhelming results.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Understand_High-Efficiency_Professional_Social_Media_Activity\"><\/span>2. Understand High-Efficiency Professional Social Media Activity<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Often, people use professional social media platforms as a cold-calling channel. Yet attempting to gain visibility that way is often unproductive.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, job search experts often recommend using keywords and other search tools on LinkedIn to identify potential high-value contacts before moving to Twitter and Facebook to build an organic relationship. Engaging with posts and becoming involved in ongoing conversations is vastly more effective than sending an unsolicited and\/or unexplained request to connect.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_To_Make_Use_of_Professional_Networks\"><\/span>How To Make Use of Professional Networks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Networking plays some role in recruitment for 85% of job openings. What\u2019s more, nearly half of all currently employed people found and\/or landed their current position via a professional network (while just about one-quarter used a job board).<\/p>\n<p>Yet even strong professional connections are only beneficial when used appropriately.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Understand_The_Rules_Of_Professional_Leverage\"><\/span>3. Understand The Rules Of Professional Leverage<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>There is no doubt that networking works. That said, professional connections work most in your favor when contact follows a specific set of rules, namely:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do not send unsolicited\/unexplained connection requests or solicitations for employment;<\/li>\n<li>Never either ask for an interview or a job directly (instead, inform contacts that you are in the job market and that you would appreciate it if they inform you of any opportunities they know of).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is how more than one-third of LinkedIn users have received job offers \u2014 as a result of casual communication.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Understand_What_Your_Professional_Networks_Can_Cannot_Do_For_You\"><\/span>4. Understand What Your Professional Networks Can (&amp; Cannot) Do For You<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>The greatest benefits of a good professional network are the avenues it opens up for personal and professional growth. That said, this does not always equate to direct job offers and recruitment opportunities; often the greater benefit comes from gaining improved industry knowledge and cultivating new and creative insights about innovation in the sector.<\/p>\n<p>Being a part of a professional network \u2014 no matter how impressive it appears \u2014 cannot overcome the absence of these critical candidate qualities.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_To_Network_While_You_Are_Not_Exploring_The_Job_Market\"><\/span>How To Network While You Are Not Exploring The Job Market<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One of the most challenging elements of professional networking is maintenance. About 52% of people neglect their professional contacts \u2014 except when they need professional support. Many others spread their networking efforts too thin, attempting to keep in touch with every professional contact they meet.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Pinpoint_High-Value_Contacts\"><\/span>5. Pinpoint High-Value Contacts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>People that are able to maintain a helpful degree of network contact accomplish this primarily by being selective about which high-value contacts they actively stay in touch with after meeting. As a result, for more than two-thirds of established professionals, their \u201clittle black book\u201d of high-value network touchpoints contains fewer than fifteen people. This is despite the average established professional having more than 230 contacts on LinkedIn, alone.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Know_When_When_Not_To_Use_Social_Media\"><\/span>6. Know When (&amp; When Not) To Use Social Media<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Though LinkedIn aims to be only a professional networking space, users find it has limited functionality outside a job search. That is why only 12% of users feel that LinkedIn is (or should be) the best means of staying in touch with important contacts.<\/p>\n<p>People who supplant direct, personal communication with an energetic \u201cabout me\u201d social media presence ultimately lose out. At best, maintenance messaging gets drowned out by the \u201cnoise\u201d on a social networking platform (which includes sales and marketing pitches, recruitment, and some significant junk content). At worst, \u201call about me\u201d content comes across as spam.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Turn_Contacts_Into_Reciprocal_Relationships\"><\/span>7. Turn Contacts Into Reciprocal Relationships<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Each professional connection, like any interpersonal relationship, is unique. That said, some general strategies should inform your efforts to follow-through and follow-up with high-value contacts.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the most effective methods include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Developing a personal bond (taking an interest in contacts and their contexts);<\/li>\n<li>Seeking to be helpful;<\/li>\n<li>Making productive contributions to publicly visible discussions (like on LinkedIn or Twitter) .<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"About_BC_Jobs\"><\/span><strong><em>About BC Jobs<\/em><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/\">BCjobs.ca<\/a> is Western Canada\u2019s largest job board. For nearly 20 years, BC Jobs has connected job candidates with companies looking to add talent to their team. To support our candidates, we recently launched a podcast to help you stand out during your job application. Listen to weekly episodes on our <a href=\"http:\/\/podcast.bcjobs.ca\/\">podcast<\/a> to hear what recruiters are thinking and what companies look for when considering their next hire. We also host free virtual events to support candidates, such as #HireMe2020, a series of live guest speaker events with all-star speakers from the top employers in BC and across Canada. Email community@bcjobs.ca to find out more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nearly 80% of professionals agree that professional networking is a valuable tool for career progression [1]. Even so, one-quarter of currently-employed adults do not engage in active professional networking, and 38% of those who do struggle to maintain contact with their network. What is the most significant cause of this networking neglect? Insufficient time for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":8190,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[194,585,586,317,584,583,582,581,580],"class_list":["post-7507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-networking-advice","tag-bc-jobs","tag-how-to-network-for-a-job","tag-how-to-network-online","tag-jobs-in-vancouver","tag-networking-and-career","tag-networking-and-career-development","tag-professional-networking-during-covid","tag-professional-networking-events","tag-professional-networking-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7507"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8053,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7507\/revisions\/8053"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}