by Bash Sarmiento
There’s a saying that goes, your network is your net worth. That saying rings true for all professionals. While perseverance can take you far in the workplace, building a strong network is just as critical when it comes to building a successful and impactful career.
Best Strategies for Building a Strong Network
If you’re keen on knowing the best strategies for building a strong network as a social-impact professional, read more about it below:
Know Your Goals
Before you build your own network, ask yourself – what are your goals when expanding your network? Do you intend to seek funding for a particular project? Are you seeking mentorship, or perhaps you’re simply looking to form a partnership? Regardless of your purpose, clarifying your goals will help you focus on your networking efforts.
Attend Industry Events
Attending industry events will remain to be one of the best network-building opportunities you’ll have in your career. Find any scheduled conferences, workshops, and other events tailored to your social impact niche – they can be within your locality or in an international setting.
These events provide valuable opportunities to meet with other like-minded individuals and professionals who can help you toward your goals in the social impact sector. It helps if these events also have keynote speakers, panel discussions, and breakout sessions that cover topics relevant to your expertise.
In these industry events, take advantage of networking breaks and social events to exchange ideas and form connections that can lead to long-term collaborations or partnerships.
Volunteer
To find other professionals in the same social impact sector, volunteer for organizations that have good corporate social responsibility practices. Volunteering provides you the opportunity to contribute to meaningful work, while at the same time exposing you to a wider network of individuals who share your passion for social impact.
Engage in Informational Interviews
A brilliant way to further grow your network is to take part in informational interviews. Reach out to professionals whose work you admire in your sector or align with your interests. Take these conversations as a time to learn more about the career paths other professionals take, gain insights into the industry, and discover potential opportunities for collaboration.
Join Professional Associations
If you’re looking to further broaden your network, then consider joining professional associations relevant to your field in social impact. Joining these associations can provide easier access to the other network-building strategies mentioned earlier – attending network events, volunteering, and engaging in informational interviews. Plus, these associations could also provide opportunities for professional development.
Offer Value
In relationships, we take, but it’s also important that we learn how to give. Building your network is a two-way street. Take the initiative when offering assistance to other professionals, especially if you have particular expertise in an area that can benefit others in your network.
If you can provide introductions or referrals. By doing so, you provide value to your network – and it’s just as likely that they will provide value to you.
Maintain Relationships
If you don’t nurture your relationships, they won’t grow. Forming connections isn’t a one-time event. Don’t hesitate to send that follow-up email or to give them a follow on their public social media accounts. Check in periodically to see how they’re doing. That way, you maintain your relationships in the long term.
Be Authentic
When it’s our first time meeting someone,, we always put our best foot forward. We dress our best, smile, and showcase our achievements. While those are important, we must never lose sight of who we are. Making a good impression is also about being authentic.
Strive to be genuine when interacting with others. Share your opinions and experiences freely, and listen to what others have to say. When you let your true self shine through, your relationships will be built on authenticity and trust
Best Tools for Building a Strong Network
Now that we’ve covered the best strategies, let’s go over the best tools you can use to expand your network.
Often considered the Facebook of the professional world, LinkedIn is one of the top social media platforms to grow your professional career. The platform allows you to connect with industry experts and consume content relevant to your career, helping you stay abreast of the latest news and trends.
Hunter.io
Connecting through email is one of the best ways to grow your network. However, there lies the significant challenge of finding one’s email. When sending cold emails, using tools such as Hunter.io can help you find emails of specific persons within organizations.
Final Thoughts
There are several benefits to growing your professional network – you can form deep connections, gain mentorship opportunities, and open new doors to advance your career and make a meaningful impact on communities.
By following these strategies and using the mentioned tools to expand your professional network, you’ll surely position yourself for success in your social impact career.
Bash Sarmiento, a writer and educator based in Manila, specializes in crafting concise pieces across the realms of education, lifestyle, and health. His works reflect his academic background and wealth of experience in teaching, textbook evaluation, business management, and travel.