A Guide to Networking | by Simone Mizova

I am Simone Mizova, a Private Sales apprentice at Christie’s, just finishing the Digital Business accelerator program at Multiverse. I started when I was 18 years old, so straight from school into a work environment, and I heard a lot about the importance of networking, but it’s taken me a while to understand what networking is and how to do it.
I’ve developed some great tips that have worked for me and so I wanted to share them in this ultimate guide to networking, along with what I’ve learnt along the way. I hope that this guide will really help you as well.
Feel free to direct message me on Community or connect with me on LinkedIn, and please save this article for yourself!
Good luck with your networking!

How do you take the first step in networking?
Meet someone. 

• Seems explanatory but it can be difficult to actually meet someone so later on in the article, I will talk about where you can meet people.

Have your camera on and ask questions.

• For online events, have your camera on, if possible. This way they will see your face, and feel more connected and excited that there is enough interest (at events that they organised for example).
• Ask questions if you can think of any, in person, through chats, or by raising your hand. Again, this will give them something to remember you by. So you have to pay attention to what they are saying to show you listened and are not making them repeat themselves.

Have a conversation. 

• This can also be quite difficult especially if you are a naturally shy person. As a background, I consider myself an extroverted introvert, meaning I prefer and enjoy quiet, alone time and my social battery depletes quickly, but in social situations, I adapt to become bubbly and smiley, although I also need to hide in the toilets sometimes, which is totally fine! As a slightly neurodivergent individual also, I feel like there’s a lot of acting involved. 
• Admittedly I gain confidence when I talk to someone equal, but I am much quieter and shy around people who are superior to me, in the workplace or socially generally. I think that is natural, and it’s something that I am working on- to make my input in conversations valuable enough to be confident, especially as someone who’s been at work for around a year. 
• A very weird trick I use (don’t judge) is to imagine that a person has a crush on you, or respects and likes you very much. Some imagine people naked but this is what works for me and gives me a boost. 
• I also like to remind myself that they might at least view me as a ‘baby’- someone that they can protect, mentor, help, and then feel good doing that. You might be surprised that seniors (or others) love it when people reach out and talk or ask questions. Imagine someone doing that to you and how good that can feel. 
• If they are rude or ignore you, or you get a bad feeling, at least you tried and you don’t have to connect with that person again- you move on, they move on. 
• I can’t go through all the conversation topics you can possibly use but I say avoid only talking about the weather (it becomes painfully clear to both of you that this convo and relationship is not working, which we don’t want) and try to ask about things that are continuous and that you can get an update on (so that when you next meet them, you have something to bring up).

Remember their names! 

• I have a habit of forgetting names as soon as someone has told me theirs. So I repeat their name back when they present it so that I remember it acoustically and verbally, and I ensure that I’ve heard/pronounced it correctly. 
• Do not be shy to ask for their name after a conversation or as you’re saying goodbye- it shows that you are interested in them and they will likely appreciate it. 
• If you want to come across as natural, you can ask for their name and then if they reply with their first name, clarify ‘oh no, sorry, I meant your last name?’. Great trick, especially if they are introduced with only their first name, but use it wisely. If you’re feeling extra confident, ask for their LinkedIn or even Instagram.
• When presenting your own name, be loud and clear with it.

Search for them on LinkedIn and connect (or follow them if they do not allow that option). 

• I would say that LinkedIn isn't a great place to start networking with someone. Personally, I don’t think you should connect with a stranger that you have no obvious connection with- they will less likely to accept your request and it’s annoying. 
• However, you can connect, for example, with people you see working at your company, even if you’ve not met them. 
• I think LinkedIn should be used when you've already met someone and you want to continue that relationship. They see your face and you are then on their mind again. 
• If you feel like they might not remember your name or face, you have the option to send a note when requesting to connect. It can be something like “Hello! We met at… Looking forward to connecting with you.” Try to avoid apologising or using polite past tense such as “I hope you don’t mind me connecting…” or “I just wanted to…”. Be confident! That is just advice in general.
• If you see them around at the workplace, for example, smile, nod, say hi, or stop for a conversation. It’s a great way to continue a relationship. If you don’t see them often, don’t worry. You can:

Have a conversation on LinkedIn. 

• You do not have to force a conversation, and ultimately you do not have to have an active connection with everyone- it’s okay to leave it as is after connecting. 
• But if you were interested in that person especially, try to bring up something that you remember from the conversation- “I remember you talked about… Can you clarify on that, because I didn’t fully understand and it sounded interesting?”. 
• You can invite them out to coffee, even a virtual one. 

This is not limited to LinkedIn. 

• You can also use: Email if you have it; or Instagram if it’s appropriate (think age and if it was a professional meet). I’m sure there are more options or websites but these are what I can think of.

What other forms of networking can I try that don't involve LinkedIn?
So to start networking I would say focus on starting within your workplace. A few great places to network is:
 

To try to go to social events at work.

• My work, at least, has many social opportunities and I try to go to each one. 
• People are more relaxed (naturally if there are alcoholic drinks), easier to chat to and, although it will be awkward at first, that will pass.

Reach out for shadowing at work.

• Not only is shadowing a great way to learn about different teams and sides of your company, thus expanding your knowledge, but you will also naturally become more comfortable with that person or the whole team. 
• In my experience, they last for a few hours to up to half a day, depending on what the person talks about. 
• Ask lots of questions- who they work with, daily life, how they work with your team, what they studied, how they got to their current role, etc. It’s a must-do for new starters or young people as well because you are naturally expected to not know about them, but it’s great to do it, even if you’ve been there for a while. 
• People appreciate it when someone is interested. 
• Now whenever you need help or a favour from that team, you have a go-to person, who you can comfortably talk to and say ‘hi’ to when you come across each other. 
• And if you ever want to move to that team, you have a much better chance of success.

Apply for mentoring schemes at work. 

• Mentoring schemes are open outside of companies so you can always search for those if your work doesn’t offer them, but absolutely consider applying. 
• Mentors are good to talk to and to be introduced to new people. 
• You can build a relationship with them and the people that they might introduce.

Offering to go to coffee, lunch or go out to the pub after work.

• Similar to the social events but you can do this with people in your team or work with, people you’ve shadowed, people you’ve not talked to much, or with people outside of your work that you’ve managed to connect with.

It’s a bit more difficult to network outside of work. 

• Identify what you’re interested in and search around to find social events for that subject. For example, I work and am interested in art and art history. Many museums and galleries hold Lates, which can be a great place to bring a friend and mingle.
• It is more awkward to find someone to get into a conversation with, but if you’re feeling brave, introduce yourself to a group or individual, and be prepared to lead the conversation now that the attention is on you. Especially join a group if you happen to know someone in that group, it’s a natural segue.

Do you post on LinkedIn? How do you know what kind of things you'd like to post, and others would be interested in reading? 

• I don’t post a whole lot on LinkedIn, to be honest. I only post any new opportunities that I’ve gotten (such as starting an apprenticeship), or milestones (completing projects). 
• From what I’ve seen on LinkedIn, people post about the projects they’ve completed, achievements, new roles, their company's projects or goals that have been achieved, or things that they are personally interested in as a hobby or could benefit others. 
• Scroll through what the people you’re interested in post about, leave a few comments and likes and you’ll start to understand what you would like to post. 
• The good thing about LinkedIn is that you do not need to post to show that you’re active. On your profile, there is a section that shows other people what you’ve liked, commented on, been tagged in or shared. This way others can see your interest without you having to post.

How can you build your network?

• I’ve sort of answered this in detail but mainly it boils down to social events, connecting on LinkedIn right after it and inviting people for lunch or coffee. 
• Do not be picky about who you have a network with. You never know if someone you thought wouldn’t be helpful to you, turns out to be essential in getting you introduced to another person. If you like them and they’re not a bad person, it’s a network! You don’t have to be benefitting, or giving, all the time.
• My main point is that 90% of the time it’s about luck. Who you meet, where you go, where the conversation goes, who you’re introduced to… It’s annoying to think about the lack of control but hopefully, this article has given a few points to help you get started.

I've read that networking is a two-way street and you should offer something in return - what kind of thing would this be? What if I don't feel I have anything to offer in return?
Really good question! It’s a very difficult balance. As a young person, they don’t really expect that I can offer much. If it’s another young person, or someone equal to me, we relate to each other better and I think that is all that we need to appreciate the connection. Often I’ll ask them questions and favours and vice versa- luckily it happens quite naturally in our jobs. 

For more senior connections, many are just very happy to help you and talk to you. It boosts self-esteem and self-confidence. Happier are those giving. They’re genuinely interested, at least I hope that you’ll find that.

If you would like to give to someone, invite them out to coffee or lunch and pay for it- that’s quite a simple way to feel like you are giving something back to them. And then that starts the cycle of exchange. You might send each other articles or events on their subject of interest or like their post, and that’s enough. But I don’t think it’s an integral part of networking.

Do you have any tricks to make yourself feel less nervous about reaching out to someone for the first time, or things you can do when reaching out? 
They should enjoy you reaching out. 

• Keep in mind that they should want to help and if not, then no worries. Likely, you won’t have to talk to them again or even see them in person. 
• Move on and please reassure yourself that they will forget about it.

Relax self-awareness.
Humans are very self-aware and this is painful if you are shy or neurodivergent. 

• I like to remind myself of the Spotlight Effect. We might critique ourselves over a hair that is out of place, blinking too much, blinking too little, where our hands are, how we are standing, what we are wearing, and so on. But when have you ever noticed, paid attention to or remembered those same things about another person? Most people are so caught up in their own self and own life that they will not notice the ‘imperfections’ that they see in themselves, so try to relax a bit and not think about it. You will feel happier and less nervous.
• On the flip side, if possible, you can divert their attention by making them remember you by a defining thing. This is more for clothes or accessories- fun earrings, shirts, shoes or socks, for example. It is a nice conversation filler, and they get a chance to compliment or notice and remember you in a positive way.
• So there is a balance of how much you should think about yourself and your image. But I would start by being relaxed and once you gain more confidence, you can follow on to the second point.

Have a good introduction. 

• If you’re reaching out to a stranger, introduce yourself and your goals properly.
• E.g. “Hello, I’m… I do… I followed your LinkedIn (or whatever reason you’re interested in them) and I would like to know what sort of advice/ opinion you have if I wanted to do….” Of course, you might have other reasons to reach out, but it’s obviously not great to say that you want to use them to meet more people.
• It’s also nice to explain how you found them and why they specifically are important to you. 
• It’s good to mention or talk about a hobby outside of work. For example “I recently watched/ read/ tried to/ went to.” It makes conversations more personable.

Use good grammar! 

• It really puts me off when a stranger messages and their goal is unclear, how they found me is unclear, and then on top of that, they don’t seem to have put in any work to spell or grammar check. It makes you come off as not interested. Not a nice feeling on the receiving side.
• It makes you feel more confident and professional in your ability.

How do you find out about opportunities through your network?

• I find out about opportunities through the people that I am connected with. If they post about an event on their LinkedIn, I might consider going or watching. 
• Most of the time, I am sent invites to evenings, dinners or events, but it takes time to build that, and it depends on luck and if the people you’re connected to are invited to places or organise any. I have around three people that invite me to such events because they would like me to talk about my journey or think that I would enjoy the event.

Simone Mizova is a Digital Business apprentice at Multiverse.