It’s no secret that networking is a great way to remain successful in your career. It’s the best way to find a job, stay on top of trends in your industry, get advice on your career goals and performance and leverage resources in your given field. We work on perfecting ways to contact new people and figuring out how to maintain a relationship with them to potentially ask for advice, mentoring, a job opening or information.
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But too many times we focus on what we can receive from our network connections and not what we can bring to the table to contribute and be a resource for others as well. Just like anything else, the golden rule applies here too: treat others as you want to be treated. If you want to find great resources in your network, be a great resource for them as well. Even if you feel like you don’t have anything to offer others in terms of career assistance, there are things you can do to help others you may not have thought of! Learning to be a great resource in any way you can will make others more likely to connect with you and keep in touch. Here are three things to keep in mind to be a great resource.
— Write or provide quality content. Don’t slack off here and cut and paste articles you want to share just to say that you are sharing with others. Sharing articles with others related to their industry is great, but it should be something useful. Make sure it is actually relevant, that it shares new and interesting information and have an opinion about it. This means that you should also read the article first before sharing it and provide a few thoughts about it as part of your share. Do you like the article? Why do you like it? How can it help your network? These questions will help you to evaluate if it’s quality content or not, and give you some ideas about comments you can make. Being a great resource for others doesn’t mean constantly posting things, it means posting content that others, and you, actually care about. Thoughtful comments on what others post is also helpful, by the way.
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— Determine your specialty. To be a valuable resource to others, you have to identify what you have learned or studied that most other people haven’t. Or what unique combination of skills, experience or expertise you bring to the table. What new information can you offer others? Perhaps you worked on a specialized project earning your MBA, or you took a technical class on the side while working full time, or you have written a presentation or articles on a certain subject that others could benefit from. Don’t worry, even if right now you are thinking you don’t have anything special to offer your network, know that you do. It doesn’t have to be too complicated and it doesn’t have to be something earth-shattering. Knowing something that others don’t could be something as simple as knowing where to get the best business cards made in town at a local store to support local business. It could be a unique way you solve a simple, but difficult problem common to everyone in your industry. Start by making a list of information that you have that could be valuable to others in your industry.
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— Don’t be stingy. This is a mistake when it comes to networking. A network is a community for sharing information, and good resources share without expecting anything in return. So offer your knowledge freely. This creates a level of trust with your network, and they will want to share information with you. Of course, be selective about what you share. If you have found a new business that looks promising and are thinking of going for a job interview, keep that to yourself. Don’t share trade secrets or company secrets, of course. That goes without saying. Do share knowledge and advice that’s appropriate for public consumption with the spirit of being helpful to others.
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3 Ways to Be Helpful to Your Network originally appeared on usnews.com
