What do you do when you don’t have time to network? You make time! It’s important! Make networking a habit because if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

If you have spent time building the know, like, and trust with your network, you can ask them for help when you need it. Networking is a supportive system of sharing information among individuals and cultivating productive relationships for employment or business.

There are many ways to build and nurture your network, and below are some whys and hows, whether you network in person or online.

• Add to your social well-being
• Ask questions and get answers
• Broaden your sphere of influence
• Build confidence
• Build your profile and build your brand
• Check-in to say hi
• Congratulate for personal or business success
• Develop long-lasting relationships
• Exchange and share ideas and gain different perspectives
• Expand your resources
• Find a mentor or be a mentor or engage in reverse mentoring
• Get feedback
• Gain knowledge
• Generate referrals
• Give to get and pay it forward
• Make introductions to others
• Make new friends
• Meet new people at all professional levels
• Personal touch (send an article or item of interest, an upcoming event, a run-down of a good book, etc. to be top of mind) to nurture the connection
• Practice your elevator pitch or memory dart
• Provide value to others
• Raise self-awareness
• Wish a happy anniversary or happy birthday or give kudos

General Places to Network:

• Alumni Associations
• Chambers of Commerce
• Eventbrite
• Family, friends, neighbors, past and present co-workers, teachers, etc.
• Industry Conferences
• LinkedIn – groups, events, audio events
• Meetup
• Professional Associations
• Religious Institutions
• Shapr (app)
• Social audio like Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, LinkedIn audio, and more
• Volunteering at Nonprofit Events

Local SCORE Chapters to Join and Network with Other Volunteers or Get Help as a Business Owner:

• SCORE: Chester & Delaware Counties www.chesterdelco.score.org
• SCORE: Bucks & Eastern Montgomery Counties https://buckscounty.score.org/
• SCORE: TriCounty https://tricounty.score.org/
• SCORE: Philadelphia County https://philadelphia.score.org/
• SCORE: Delaware https://delaware.score.org

A Sampling of Networking Opportunities:

• Blitzr
• ChemPharma
• Delaware Valley Veterans Consortium
• eWomenNetwork
• FemCity Philadelphia
• Great Careers Groups
• Greater Philadelphia Veterans Network
• Helpful Networking Group (Wednesdays 8:30 AM) Contact Jon Cooper to be added to the list at cooperking96@gmail.com
• Lunch Club
• Main Line Start-Up Breakfast
• Network After Work
• Network on Zoom.com
• NoMoreBadZoom.com
• PolkaDotPowerhouse
• Technology Professionals Networking Group
• The Happy Neighborhood Project
• Women’s Prosperity Network

And yes, there are many, many more!

Hopefully, the lists above will help you explore new connections in some new places or remind you to check back to places from your past.

Missed the previous article What if MLK had social audio for “I have a dream”?

NEXT STEPS

• Subscribe to my newsletter on LinkedIn for bright ideas to manage your career.

• Join as a member at https://greatcareersphl.org/membership of the #1 business networking association on the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Book of Lists two years in a row!

• Register on the events page for these upcoming online events noted below.

_____________________________________________________________

• 1/21 Fri – Interviewing Techniques
• 1/21 Fri – It’s Your Season to Thrive (on Clubhouse)
• 1/24 Mon – Resume Best Practices
• 1/24Mon – Annual Conference for Nonprofit Professionals & Volunteers
• 1/25 Tues – Annual Conference for Nonprofit Professionals & Volunteers
• 1/25 Tues – Cover Letters
• 1/25 Tues – Business Executives Networking Group (BENG)
• 1/26 Wed – Annual Conference for Nonprofit Professionals & Volunteers
• 1/26 Wed – Advanced Social Media Panel: Tools & Techniques
• 1/26 Wed – PowerThinking: Rejuvenating Your Amazing Mind Resilience Building Call
• 1/26 Wed – Business Executives Networking Group (BENG)
• 1/27 Thurs – Career Success Group
• 1/27 Thurs – Find Your Own Fastest Path to Revenue Lunch & Learn
• 1/28 Fri – Interviewing Techniques
• 1/28 Fri – Secrets to Creating Your N.E.X.T. – New Exciting Xtra-ordinary Transition (on Clubhouse)
• 1/31 Mon – Career Success Group