Careers Corner

Networking sounds daunting, so let’s break it down

 “Networking” is a term you’ll probably hear a lot of through your life, but more so as you begin working towards a career.

But what does networking actually mean?

Essentially, it’s the building of purposeful relationships. You know, the ones that can add some form of value to your life (outside of socialising).

Networking at high school might seem a bit different than if you’re an already established businessperson, for example. But at the end of the end of the day, it’s pretty similar. Spending time and energy, actively seeking out and improving relationships beyond your immediate circle is networking, no matter how old you are.

There are plenty of benefits to networking

You might be asking yourself why you should bother networking. After all it’s an investment of your time and effort, so what could you get out of it?

Ultimately, there’s the possibility that your ‘networking connections’ could prove fruitful by creating opportunities or supporting you later down the track. For example, one of your links may provide you with:

• a great reference
• recommended you for a job
• give you the chance to join a team or project that you’re interested in
• an opportunity to learn skills that add value to your resume 
• the chance to become a more competitive candidate in courses or job applications thanks to the knowledge, ideas, information or experience you learn from them.

When you’re working and studying, lots of positions, from internships to promotions, are filled internally within schools, university departments and business organisations. Having established, strong connections, could mean that you’ll be the one to benefit in those situations.

Over the course of your career, if you stay focused and keep networking, you’ll end up with a large circle of acquaintances. They’ll be a great source of knowledge, provide you with up to date and relevant information, or they might send new clients and customers your way.

 It’s never too early to start networking. Here’s a few simple ideas on how you could start networking, or expanding your existing network, right away.

• Join clubs, if you’re at school, uni, TAFE, or working. Find those that reflect your areas of interest or subject choices, consider signing up to others that could give you important skills. For example, sporting clubs, study groups, focused project groups, or community groups.
• Make time to chat with your parents’ friends and parents of your friends. They are a mine of information, with lots of knowledge about careers and educational pathways amongst other things. They’ll also have connections of their own, which could possibly help you tap into work experience, paid jobs and more.
• Maximise opportunities such as work experience placements at school, part time and voluntary jobs, or internships after uni. Be professional, interested and enthusiastic. Volunteer your services and take every opportunity to learn from and chat to others in the organisation. You never know where it could lead, one day they could even offer you a job.
• Put your social media accounts and knowledge to good use. Learn more about LinkedIn and Twitter, for example, or learn about new platforms. Think about connections you’d like to make, other people and businesses you’d like to follow.

Do your research and remember that everything on any of social media accounts could be linked and visible to your network connections and potential employers. So, keep them “clean” and make sure they’ll reflect you in a good light. By the time you leave high school or graduate from university you could be surprised with how large your network is.A side note to remember

Networking is a two-way street. People won’t include you in their circle if you don’t contribute your own ideas and information. Volunteering your services, introducing people to others who might be beneficial, or recommending your connections (or their services) are all ways you can add value to your network relationships.                                                                                                                                      Source: Study, Work, Grow (2022)