Commit random acts of networking

It's the little things that, over time, add up

When we hear the word “networking,” many of us assume it means big things, like going to a conference. That might be worth doing, but the nature of big things is that we can’t do them all that often.

Little things, on the other hand? That’s a different matter. “Successful networking requires understanding the immense power of regular daily activities to connect with someone else,” writes J. Kelly Hoey in her book, Build Your Dream Network.

So she lists several suggestions of “random acts of networking” that, over time, compound and add up.

For instance, consider your email signature line. What does it say about you? Does it make people want to get to know you, and introduce you to other people?

What about your voicemail message? If you ever get voicemail messages, then someone is hearing it, so best to make it as good an experience as possible.

Sharing an interesting article on one of your social media channels can be networking.

Getting a good headshot is networking. After all, when people who haven’t met you yet search for you, that’s going to be their first visual impression, so it might be wise to think about what that impression conveys.

Routine documents like your invoices can be acts of networking. Your invoice might get forwarded around to various places in the organization processing it, and all those people represent opportunities to leave a good impression.

Even taking the stairs in your office can be an act of networking if you do it with the goal of saying hello to someone in a different part of the building. Or maybe you introduce yourself to the other people at your co-working space, or the people who sometimes work in the library at the same time you do.

The idea is simply realizing that every time someone has an interaction, or a potential interaction with you, you can use it to connect and strengthen your network. While we might belabor the choice of what to wear to an official networking event, we spend less time pondering our email signatures, even though those signatures will probably reach a lot more people. So why not put a little more effort into the little things? I’m going to go update my email signature right now!