Networking is the cornerstone of any career, and it’s about establishing and maintaining quality relationships. In other words, it’s simply about meeting people and staying in touch with those you enjoy. At the end of the day, life is all about relationships! Healthy connections help make our lives and careers easier, more enjoyable and offer a built-in support system during good times and bad. If you don’t have a group of people to help you move along in your career, progress will be slower. If you do great work but no one knows who you are, your work is less likely to be recognized.
This is the last blog in a series addressing each chapter of The Purple Parachute: A Woman’s Guide to Navigating the Winds of Career Change.
If you want to start from the beginning, this link will take you to the first one. Chapter Thirteen is the last chapter of my book, and it’s all about networking because one constant of good career management is making time to network.
The truth is, no matter how much networking you are currently doing, you probably need to do more of it. Networking is key to landing your next gig, and it is the area where most people fall short. Some aren’t doing it at all, and others aren’t doing it enough. There may be times when you cannot network due to other demands in your life. That’s OK if you get back to it in a reasonable amount of time.
Networking is especially important for women for a few reasons. First, women experience more adaptations in life, so a good network becomes essential to help work through transitions. Second, women have a natural ability to bring people together and build communities. Use that strength to your advantage. Third, most jobs are landed because of networking, so increase your odds of future success by creating a solid foundation.
ALWAYS BE OPEN TO NETWORKING
I believe that you should always be networking, but that doesn’t mean throwing your business card at anyone who comes your way. It does mean, don’t be the person who only networks when you are looking for work and then goes offline until the next time you need something! Remain open to meeting someone new, even if it’s in an unexpected place. Commit to following up once or twice to see if there is potential for the relationship to grow. The greatest secret to success in building strong connections: Always be willing to give as much as you receive.
Chapter Thirteen shares a wealth of practical information on networking. It includes six reasons I hear frequently stated as to why people don’t network more often, along with counterarguments as to why these “reasons” are just excuses. This chapter also offers recommended books for further reading on this topic, scripts to adapt, and my six networking principles for success. Finally, this final chapter offers some tried and true basics for networking success. Below, I share three steps to help you unleash your networking potential.
ASSESS YOUR NETWORK
As a starting point, you should take an inventory of your current situation. Many people tell me they have no network, but that is never true. We all have connections, even if it’s merely family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and classmates. Some people may have more capacity to help than others, but you never know who knows someone else, so don’t discount people before you do a little investigating. You can map out your network by categories (family, friends, coworkers, etc.) and see where you have the strongest ties. Look where your connections are weaker and think about how you might strengthen them.
GROW YOUR NETWORK
Once you have a baseline and mapped out who you know, think about who you would like to get to know. These might be experts in your field, people who are further along in your career path, or someone who works at an ideal employer. Make a list of three people you would like to add to your network and figure out a way to get on their radar. You might try sending a direct e-mail, following a social media account, or going to an event where someone will be speaking or attending. Give yourself a timeline and set out a few action steps to get started. After one year, evaluate if it’s worth continuing. Expert tip: Never ask a new connection for something until you have first thought of how you could help them.
When building your network, it’s good to have some diversity. If you only connect with people your age, in your field, and in your geographic location, your network will be limited. Try to find people in other places, people who are older or younger than you, and people outside of your field. Maybe you have a hobby that presents opportunities to engage beyond your work life.
Another common question I receive is, “Where do I go to meet new people?” The answer will depend on your purpose. I believe you can make useful connections anywhere, even speaking to the stranger in front of you in line at a store. Volunteering at community events or attending local clubs for reading or gardening can bring you in contact with new people who have similar interests.
However, if you have a specific goal, such as landing a new job, you will need to go where the decision-makers are hanging out. This could be an employer event or a job fair, but the most promising will be a professional association. Almost every profession or industry has at least one organization dedicated to it. Some are local, national, or international. The larger the group, the more likely that they will have regional chapters and local meetings. Attend an event to see what you think. If you enjoy the group, consider joining. If you love the organization, consider volunteering to further its mission. I promise, along the way, you will meet people who you can help and who may be able to help you.
BE PREPARED
No matter where you decide to network, it’s good to be prepared. This means having a networking card to share with others, knowing a good question to ask for a conversation starter, and drafting a brief but compelling way to introduce yourself. If possible, try to see who will be attending the event ahead of time. This helps you focus and prioritize who you want to meet. Trying to meet everyone is not a good strategy!
A FINAL WORD ABOUT STAYING IN TOUCH WITH OTHERS
A final note about networking in 2025 and beyond. COVID-19 changed some of the options available, but it didn’t change the cornerstones of networking (like reciprocating and being kind). Remember that it’s merely about meeting new people and keeping in touch. After COVID-19, many people like to meet virtually, but others miss in-person interactions. When meeting new contacts, be sure to ask how they prefer to keep in touch. Do they prefer a phone call or an e-mail? Make a note of the answer and be sure to follow up using their preferred method soon after meeting or at least within a couple of months (while it’s still fresh in their memory).
It’s still early in the year, so I’ll leave you with these questions. What’s your excuse for not doing more networking this year? How will you overcome it? How many new people will you meet this year? How many will you stay in touch with into the next year? What methods will you use to track who you meet and follow up with them?
Finally, even though this is the last post in the blog series about The Purple Parachute, you can continue to engage with the content. Regardless of which book format you bought, or even if you didn’t, you can download a supplemental workbook for my book. It includes all the questions and exercises from the book. Go here to access it.
TWO IMPORTANT UPDATES
- In case you missed it, I’m going on sabbatical on April 1st for the remainder of this year. To learn about it and how this affects you, read more here.
- I have opened two new social media accounts on BlueskySocial. One is @paulabrand.com and the other is @purple-parachute.com. Please follow me there and let me know your BlueSky handle. I made this move because I do not agree with the policies and practices of Meta and X. For the moment, I will keep those accounts open, but soon, I will delete them entirely.
