Networking versus "Need-working"
"It's easier to network than need-work." That's loosely quoted from Robin Greenspan of Execunet fame, and is one of my favorite lines about professional networking.
The point is that as professionals we should be managing our own employability. One key way to do that is by managing and constantly expanding your own professional network. It doesn't have to add an inordinate amount of time to your already busy schedule, simply taking an hour a month can have a huge impact.
If you do take time to network, you'll reap a number of great benefits. You will:
1. Stay up to speed on happenings in your industry / profession / function - which is important if you're trying to stay at the top of your game professionally.
2. Maintain and deepen the relationships you have with professional colleagues / contacts - being connected makes you better professionally as it keeps your finger on the pulse of what's happening in your industry and with people who matter to you. Also, you might find yourself in the position of being able to help out someone who needs it.
3. Be aware of other potential opportunities that may exist - not that you should be job-shopping, but it's good to know to take off the ‘organizational blinders' and look around. Be aware of how your role compares and measures up in other organizations, which speaks to the next point.
4. Benchmark your own skills / knowledge / expertise against the marketplace and brand yourself professionally - if you were impacted by a down-sizing, could you compete for the role you currently hold? If not, some professional development may be in order.
5. Clearly understand your brand and value that you bring to your current employer - perhaps better positioning yourself for a promotion or raise.
Those 5 benefits are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. It took me more time to type them than to think of them. Besides, the point is that NETWORKING is good for you. For anyone who's ever started a job search without a strong professional network, you know how much it can stink to have to start professionally networking from scratch because you need a job. (Hence the term need-working.)
I'm throwing down the gauntlet, folks. What have you done (recently) for yourself professionally?
Questions and Answers
Article Tags:
employability
,brand
,network
,need work
,professional development
,knowledge
,skills
,expertise
,marketplace
,value
,execunet
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