{"id":16595,"date":"2016-07-26T14:16:45","date_gmt":"2016-07-26T14:16:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/?p=16595"},"modified":"2016-07-26T14:16:45","modified_gmt":"2016-07-26T14:16:45","slug":"the-art-of-networking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/the-art-of-networking\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Networking"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Networking is the lifeblood of professional relationships. The vast majority of your interactions, projects, and successes in business will be the result of some form of networking. It\u2019s been shown that 80% of all jobs now are obtained through networking. More than ever it is a time of \u201cwho you know\u201d not \u201cwhat you know\u201d. That being the case, not everyone is as eager or adept at schmoozing and so the prospect of attending a multitude of events with strangers and making new \u201cbusiness friends\u201d can be daunting. Coming from a political family, networking has always been a part of my professional life whether I liked it or not. Over the years it became ingrained into my professional life and I\u2019ve even taught workshops on the subject of professional networking. In my current position networking is as important as ever and essentially a major function of my job itself. \u201cManager of Detroit Engagement\u201d means that anyone in the city is a potential professional contact or colleague and so I\u2019m no stranger to receptions, mixers, and community info sessions. With that in mind, here are some of my personal tips for making your next networking opportunity a success. Some of these may seem common knowledge but believe me when I say when it comes to professional schmoozing, take nothing for granted.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Arrive early: \u201cFashionably late\u201d doesn\u2019t work for networking unless you\u2019re the star attraction of the event. Get there right when the event begins, this allows you to get a lay of the land, study the setup of the room, and catch any other early arrivers before they are wrapped up in other conversations. Plus, it never hurts to be able to tell people where the bar or restrooms are, the two most common questions at most events.<\/li>\n<li>Bring Cards\/Get Cards: you\u2019ll like have a few conversations throughout the event and the individuals you really wanted to talk to will like have even more than that, so make sure you get a business card from them to follow up with. The unfortunate truth is that many people will forget everyone they spoke with during that time but once you\u2019ve got that card, the individual is only a phone call or email away at any time. In turn, bring plenty of cards for yourself and don\u2019t be stingy. Even if you don\u2019t have a card from you job or are just working for yourself right now, invest the $10-15 in online business cards with your name and contact info. Trust me when I Say being able to hand someone a professional card versus scribbling your info on a cocktail napkin makes a world of difference.<\/li>\n<li>Easy on the Drinks: The bar is a staple of most networking events and often times its complimentary. The free booze can be tempting but it can also ruin your chances of making a god impression if you\u2019ve had too many. Take your time and limit your consumption to one or two drinks, or stick with the pop and water. Leave it to the amateurs to get sloppy and maintain your confident and collected status.<\/li>\n<li>Get Out of Your Comfort Zone: There\u2019s nothing wrong with bringing a friend or co-worker to a networking event. For some people it can be the only way they will be able to dip their feet in the networking waters. However once at the event its serves you no purpose to sit there exchanging gossip with known acquaintances rather than introducing yourself to new and potentially invaluable connections. You can use the double-team tactic and work together with your plus one, or divide and conquer. Even turn it into a game and see who can get the most business cards by the end of the event.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Hopefully these few tips can help you improve your success and chances. In the end, remember networking is an enjoyable and exciting experience. One in which the next great opportunity is just one handshake away. Happy schmoozing, look forward to seeing you out there<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Networking is the lifeblood of professional relationships. The vast majority of your interactions, projects, and successes in business will be the result of some form of networking. It\u2019s been shown that 80% of all jobs now are obtained through networking. More than ever it is a time of \u201cwho you know\u201d not \u201cwhat you know\u201d. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[196,442,141],"class_list":["post-16595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-workdetroit","tag-challengedetroit","tag-networking","tag-workdetroit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/102"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16595\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}