Can I go home yet?: an introvert’s guide to networking
Written by Jenesy Gabrielle Burkett
Networking can be a b----, especially when you aren’t a social butterfly or don’t excel at communicating with others. Nonetheless, networking is a necessary tool to command when navigating college and/or the workforce. So how can you network and form meaningful connections with others when you would prefer to stand in the corner of the mixer and sip your vodka cranberry until it’s time to go home?
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What is networking?
First, it’s important to understand what exactly networking is and why it might be difficult if you’re not an extroverted social butterfly. Networking is simply leveraging connections. That can be in the context of searching for a job, applying to graduate programs, applying for internships, promoting a business and so much more. Networking goes beyond using your network to find a job or some other position. Ultimately, networking is building a professional community.
If you’re an introvert who expends more energy interacting with others and takes a considerable amount of time to recharge, this can be difficult. Networking can also be difficult if you don’t feel comfortable interacting with others professionally or socially. Especially in academic and professional spaces which tend to gatekeep and judge heavily on appearance, language and general demeanor, it is expected to be intimidated and nervous about networking.
Networking is a marathon, not a sprint
Instead of thinking of networking as something you do at a specific time, think of it as building connections over your lifetime. Sure, there might be conferences or career fairs that are more immediate forms of networking, but ultimately, you’ve already been networking in some capacity your whole life. If you ever mentioned needing a summer job to your parents’ friend and found yourself babysitting or mowing lawns, you’ve networked. If you needed help in a certain subject in school and reached out to your friend who excels in physics, you’ve networked. If a friend mentioned struggling with a class themselves and you offered to help, you’ve networked.
Every person you interact with is an opportunity for networking whether you realize it or not. Your friends, family, people you meet in class, professors, colleagues, are all people you connect with on a regular basis. Maintaining those connections grows into a professional and personal network of people you can reach out to and who can reach out to you for support. Traditionally, we think of that support being finding a job, or seeking recommendations for a job or program. But that’s not all it can be. It can be who you go to for professional advice or comradery in navigating your field. By viewing networking as a long-term endeavor rather than something you do at specific events, it can become less daunting and more natural.
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Practice makes perfect
If you are really nervous to talk with people, it can help to practice before you expect to be in a position where you’ll be networking. In cases where you can expect the connections you make to be particularly important, like the first day of classes or a mixer for your department or workplace, it can help to practice beforehand. Ask a friend or family member to help you practice making conversation. You could also write down a few questions that would be natural to ask given the context so you don’t feel too on the spot when you get there.
Wherever you are networking and whatever the context, remember that you are capable. Networking is just forming connections with people, nurturing connections over time and utilizing them when appropriate. You can do this!
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