Networking is essential to building a successful career. But walking into a roomful of people is never easy.
At Networking Smarter, a panel of pros shared their advice on networking intelligently and effectively to achieve your goals, without feeling awkward or wasting time.
“Networking smarter is not about meeting people” – for Tamara Gal-On (Coach, Capitalize on Creativity), networking smarter is about following up and building a connection that lasts. If you follow up and don’t hear back, that’s okay. Tamara suggests three attempts before giving up.
“Have a strategy. Know who you are trying to find” – Tamara suggests going in with a plan; meet two people who will take you towards your goal. Parris OH (Senior Urban Artist Manager, RCA)’s approach is to go and connect with one person. “It’s very easy to suffer from social anxiety and feel overwhelmed,” Parris says.
“Don’t be afraid to tap into networks you already have” – Nikki Camilleri (A&R Manager, Believe) advises. Nikki found natural networking to be the most helpful, meeting people on projects, developing those connections, and building a good reputation in the industry.
“Remember you are emailing a real person. Be personable. Don’t be weird” – Jamie Skinner (PR / freelancer) recommends. This is especially important if you are following up by email or social media. Spamming people will get you noticed for all the wrong reasons.
“It’s about being really clear with your intention” – Parris says, especially if you are reaching out via social media. If you are at an event, be able to explain who you are, what you do and what you are looking for clearly and succinctly, advises Tamara. That way you will both know quickly whether it’s just a friendly conversation or something to follow up.
The Musicians’ Union is delighted to be one of YGN’s partners for 2018-19 with ticket discounts for MU members.
November is Young Workers’ Month across the trade union movement. All month, we’ll be highlighting advice and training useful for the MU’s 5000 young members aged 30 and under.
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