Business Finds

Building Your Network

You could say that (1) talent/skill and (2) connections are the two primary keys to success in any competitive, creative field. Ideally you need a strategy that allows you to develop your skills and build a network at the same time.

If you get offers for jobs that are too advanced for your current skill level, it means your connections exceed your skills, so you should work on raising your skill level through additional study and training. But if you aren’t getting the right job offers at all, or if you’re getting offers that are beneath you, it means you need to work harder on the networking side; the right people probably don’t even know you exist.

There are lots of ways to network. Building a high-traffic website is my personal favorite because it serves as a passive networking vehicle. It’s always on. People come to you. For example, StevePavlina.com streams a continuous flow of new connections into my life. It’s challenging to build something like this, but it’s fairly easy to maintain, and of course it yields long-term dividends.

You don’t have to use a web-centric strategy like I do — my approach is geared towards my specific strengths — but you do need an overall networking strategy. Otherwise you could become highly skilled in your field and still be lacking in opportunities because the right people don’t even know you exist. You’ll sit on the sidelines as less talented people get the jobs and deals you could have gotten, if only you had the right connections. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t whine and complain about it. Take responsibility and fix it by building a stronger network.

Networking is a very important career function, but you need to approach it with the right attitude. It should be fun and enjoyable to reach out and connect with others in your field. Networking shouldn’t merely be a means to an end. If you can’t meet people in your field that you really like, you’re probably in the wrong field.

If you try to network only when you want something, then you’re networking out of desperation instead of from a genuine desire to connect with people. When I network with other people in the self-help field, I don’t do it because I want or need something from them. I look for people that seem interesting to me. Sometimes those connections lead to friendships. Sometimes they lead to business deals. Sometimes they lead nowhere.

Personally I find it creepy when someone tries to faux-network with me just because they want something from me. For example, when I know that someone wants to “get together” because they want to pitch me on their latest MLM scheme, but they have no interest in me as a person, that’s a pretty big turnoff. However, I love meeting new people who are doing interesting work, especially when it looks like we could have a really fascinating conversation and maybe become friends, even if there doesn’t seem to be much potential for doing business together.

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