Your network is made up of people you used to work with, went to school with, volunteered with or otherwise met at some stage of your life. That’s a lot of people to stay in touch with. But at least once or twice a year, you have an easy excuse to wish someone a happy birthday or send holiday greetings.
[See: Don’t Be That Guy (or Gal): 8 Networking Turn-Offs.]
Staying in touch with past co-workers and friends can be time-consuming. However, not staying in touch will make it harder to reach out the next time you need something. And meeting new people is a challenge for even the most seasoned professionals. It often makes you feel uncomfortable. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You’ll want to develop a manageable plan for how you’ll keep in touch and also a plan for how you’ll meet new people who can help your career.
Most LinkedIn users agree, networking plays an important role in career success. However, time constraints interfere with your good intentions. It takes time to attend a networking event where you can rub elbows with people who share professional interests. Is there an alternative to meeting people face to face? Yes, but this requires reaching out to someone you don’t know and many people find this intimidating. It doesn’t have to be. Follow a couple of simple guidelines and you’ll feel less intimidated and be more successful in building new professional relationships.
Step one, always find something in common. It could be sports, school, volunteer activities, someone you know, your hometown or maybe they work for a company you are interested in. You can discover this information through LinkedIn, Facebook or by talking with people you know.
Step two, once you’ve identified what you have in common, craft your email message. Explain what your shared interests are, why you are reaching out and suggest several dates for a conversation, either in person or via Skype or FaceTime.
[See: 10 Ways to Perfect Your Personal Brand.]
Email is usually the best tool for the job. Everyone has an email address and uses it as a primary communication platform. But if you don’t know the person, you may not know their email address, either. You could try to sleuth the company’s email formula, for example, “first name.last name@company.com” or you could search for the person on social networks.
Twitter conversations are the easiest. In order to communicate with someone on Twitter, all you need to do is mention the person’s handle and add your short message. Remember, you have 140 characters total. Your invite or call to action could be to exchange contact information via a DM, or Direct Message.
Facebook conversations are a bit trickier. Do not send a message to someone you are not friends with on Facebook. Your message will end up in a different mail folder and probably won’t ever get read. Instead, look for mutual friends you share with the person. Ask your shared friend to facilitate an introduction, preferably through email.
[See: 7 Excellent Sales and Marketing Jobs for 2017.]
Try new LinkedIn conversations. There’s a new “Messaging” window on the bottom of the desktop version of LinkedIn. It’s there to help facilitate conversations. But it also is more powerful than you may realize.
If you click on the profile of someone you would like to meet or connect with and then open the message window, you will see the names of people you know who can introduce you to that person. All you have to do is message the person you know and ask for an introduction. Or if you are on a LinkedIn job posting or a company’s LinkedIn page, the message window will show you the people you know who work there.
All of this makes it easier for you to do the right thing — reach out and talk with someone to gain information, insight or advice. According to Sammy Shreibati, a senior product manager at LinkedIn, “nearly 50 percent of LinkedIn members have found a job through a mutual connection.” Remember, the No. 1 rule of networking is that you are not asking for a job. What you really want is to build a new relationship that might one day turn into a job. And the best time to expand your network is before you start looking for one.
More from U.S. News
8 Ways Millennials Can Build Leadership Skills
25 Best Business Jobs for 2017
4 Ways to Network More Effectively originally appeared on usnews.com
