It is likely that most people will have aims and ambitions in the year ahead, so it is vital that you work out what you want to achieve. When it comes to resolutions and making changes, you’ll find that most people are focused on aspects of health and fitness or giving up a vice.
This doesn’t have to be the case though and if you are looking to achieve success at work in 2019, you’ll find that there are plenty of ways in which you can improve your status and stand in the workplace.
One of the best ways in which you can improve your status and stand in the workplace is by being able to network effectively. This is something that some people take for granted, but there will be people who are not sure about how to network effectively or properly.
This is why it makes sense to take steps to improve your knowledge and understanding of networking and if you are keen to learn how to network in 2019, here are some tips that will really help you to move forward in your career.
Don’t leave networking until you desperately need it
Sometimes people only care about networking when they are looking to take advantage of having networked but if this is the case, you have already left it far too late. This is why it makes sense to be proactive about networking and take the time to learn and develop these skills before it is too late to benefit from them.
Also, if you are networking for the sake of networking as opposed to pull you out of a hole or give you a chance of making specific progress in life, you will be more relaxed. If you feel as though your career is dependent on what you achieve while networking, it is going to place you under a level of pressure that can only work against you.
Create a plan before your rush in
Before you go into a room or arrange to meet people, you need to have a plan in place. Knowing what your opening line is or making sure that you know what you are looking to say is a good starting point.
When you network you will get involved in conversations so it is hard to predict what will be asked of you but it is likely that certain questions will be asked, and knowing the answers to these questions will be of benefit. This means that you should prepare answers to questions like:
- Who do you work with and what do you do?
- What are you hoping to get out of the experience?
- Have you been here before / where are you from?
Always bear in mind that making productive small talk allows you to move on to more important things in life.
Know what your value is and what you can provide to others
One of the issues that some people have when the network is that they don’t know what their value is or what they have to offer. It is not as though every networking opportunity has to be a straight trade between two people but you will have things to offer other people, so make sure that you know what your skills are and where your skills lie.
Do not dismiss anyone as being unimportant
One of the biggest problems that many people experience in networking skills is that they only look to meet people who are experienced and who could offer a lot. These people may be too busy or too important to provide you with support or assistance. It may be that other people in the company are the ones you need to network with or connect with but if you only look at the top level, you may find that you never get any real benefit.
There is also the fact that some people can rise in the industry or their business very quickly, so the lowly professional you meet today could be the person making very big decisions in two or three years’ time.
If you are involved in the TV or film industry, you’ll find that the MIPCOM 2019 is the number one networking skills training event of the year. Even if this isn’t the event for you, you’ll find that Cannes is likely to be the ideal place to visit for a business event or conference. The French resort doesn’t only have the best restaurants and accommodation; it is the home of annual events that business professionals from all over the world attend.
