People do business with those they like and trust, and networking is a great way to develop business relationships. However, professional communities are large, vast, and diverse, so it is important to strategize your relationship building initiatives effectively.
Here's a few considerations to enhance your networking efforts:
1) Plan effectively: Who are you trying to reach? Think about it carefully, and choose events you will attend that will likely have that type of person you are trying to target. Are you trying to target professionals that work in a certain company size or a certain industry?
2) Brand Yourself: What sets you apart from your competition? Whether you represent yourself as a job seeker or you represent a company in your networking efforts, you should be ready to articulate this in a moment's notice. In addition, your branding should be reflected on your business card.
Here's a few considerations to enhance your networking efforts:
1) Plan effectively: Who are you trying to reach? Think about it carefully, and choose events you will attend that will likely have that type of person you are trying to target. Are you trying to target professionals that work in a certain company size or a certain industry?
2) Brand Yourself: What sets you apart from your competition? Whether you represent yourself as a job seeker or you represent a company in your networking efforts, you should be ready to articulate this in a moment's notice. In addition, your branding should be reflected on your business card.