Networking for Business Success

Chief executives stress the importance of visibility to advancement. You need to showcase your talents and accomplishments so the people with the power to make decisions will think of you when there are new opportunities. Visibility in the community is also helpful, and the experience you garner in working for it will help you in other ways as well. The following steps will help you gain visibility in all stages of your career.

Volunteer for the visible assignments you know you can do. Working on and completing high-visibility assignments leads to advancement and expands the number and kinds of people you know. When these assignments result in a resounding success, your own visibility will skyrocket.

Demonstrate your leadership skills. Show that you can mobilize a team to solve clients’ problems and that you’re able to delegate. When you lead meetings, create an environment where everyone feels comfortable speaking and even dissenting, so you get all the ideas you can on the table.

Seek out public speaking opportunities in your organization and at industry and trade conferences. You can start out small by speaking at meetings or spearheading discussions at staff workshops. Another option is to join panel discussions. Being viewed as a contributor to your profession can be a major asset to your career.

Get your name in print. Suggest a topic to the editor of your in-house newsletter, or write a short piece for your community newspaper. If you are published in a trade journal on your technical specialty, it will go a long way toward building your credibility.

Join associations and/or professional organizations. This kind of exposure is one of the best tickets to moving to senior management in your field. Also, volunteer to participate on prestigious committees. Take other committee assignments and prove your worth, then volunteer again.

Volunteer to help with organizational training or events. This gives you increased visibility and a chance to work with others in a more informal setting. Building connections in these settings can lead to mentoring relationships.

It’s important to take your cues from others—both men and women—who are managing visibility well. Find the balance that works in your office. Visibility is good for anyone if it’s tied to your area of expertise. Make the right contacts, establish mutually productive relationships—and be sure to maintain these relationships as you’re gaining visibility for your accomplishments—and get the kind of exposure you want.

IN ADDITION
Catalyst finds that executives at the top consistently report that networking is a top career advancement strategy and one that is vital to gaining visibility both inside and outside of your organization. Every facet of your work life can benefit from the insights, help, and connections that come through networking. Here are some tips around successful networking methods:

Who should be in your network?
Networking means making long-term contacts. Tap those contacts you have made in school, jobs, professional, and social organizations—people you have known since the beginning of time.

Reach out to people inside and outside your organization. If you have cast your net wide enough, you will not only have a strong network of contacts inside your organization, but a network of people outside the company who are experts in your industry. Develop relationships with your peers. Join networking and professional organizations. Who you know will make all the difference in your success.

When should you network?
Don’t let another day pass without developing your network. You will find a real treasure trove of information out there just waiting to be tapped.

Build relationships over time. Think in terms of two different types of helpful people: those who can be helpful in getting you where you’re going and those who can be helpful later should you consider changing in your job or career direction.

Never stop. Continue to network as you advance. Use your skills to find out about any new directions the organization may be heading in and how you can lend your talents. People in your network may be able to tell you whether a particular opportunity is a good one for you and how to go after it. They may even help you by making the introduction.

How good is your current network?
Add up the helpful people from all of the various areas of your life by asking yourself the following questions: Who do I know? What do they do and with whom are they connected? Who have I relied on in the past year, and what for? How many of my colleagues are friends? Do I have alumnae contacts? What professional organizations do I belong to that have led to new acquaintances? Do I know people at clubs I belong to, and with whom are they connected?

Tips for Internal Networking

Seek high-visibility assignments. They lead to advancement; they also expand the number and kinds of people you know.
Volunteer for cross-organizational projects that will give you access to a large cross section of people.
Seek out people in other departments with whom you have common ground, such as the same school.
Call someone whose work you’ve heard about and ask to talk about it.
Attend training programs and presentations and connect with your fellow participants.
If your organization has community projects, join them in their work.

Tips for External Networking

Choose activities and organizations that interest you personally as well as professionally.
Don’t forget your alumni organization, where you already have something in common with people who might help you.
When you’re ready, join advisory boards, nonprofit boards, government boards, or commissions. The ultimate networks are corporate boards.

It’s not that you can’t get anywhere alone. Good credentials and experience can and often will land you a good job and advancement. But the way will be easier and you may do a lot better if you seek out people and accept the help you’re offered. People who need people are all the people in the world of work.

About Catalyst:
Catalyst is the leading research and advisory organization working with businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women at work. As an independent, nonprofit membership organization, Catalyst uses a solutions-oriented approach that has earned the confidence of business leaders around the world. Catalyst conducts research on all aspects of women’s career advancement and provides strategic and web-based consulting services on a global basis to help companies and firms advance women and build inclusive work environments. In addition, we honor exemplary business initiatives that promote women’s leadership with our annual Catalyst Award. With offices in New York, San Jose, and Toronto, Catalyst is consistently ranked No. 1 among U.S. nonprofits focused on women’s issues by The American Institute of Philanthropy. For more information or to browse our publication offerings, visit www.catalystwomen.org. You may also sign up to receive our issue-specific newsletter, Perspective, and our monthly email updates at news@catalystwomen.org.

For more information about managing your career, purchase Catalyst’s book, Be Your Own Mentor, published by Random House, at your favorite online or local bookstore. To learn more about Catalyst or to browse our publication offerings, visit www.catalystwomen.org.