Have you ever used or come across the expression, your network is your networth? If you have not, start, and apply it boldly and openly.
If you do introduce yourself to new contacts, don't be nervous.
All you must do is explain who you are, give them background information on what you are interested in, and let them know why you would like to speak to them in the first place. It never hurts to also let them know that you plan on being respectful of their time, as you know that they are very busy and have a lot to do.
If time is an issue, and you know for a fact that they have quite a lot to do, simply do your best to keep the conversation limited to 10-15 minutes.
Start by telling them that you are interested in their line of work, and you are thinking about potentially joining that niche as well. Tell them that you are inspired by what they have done in their industry, and that you hope to one day have a career that is similarly successful.
Once these formalities have been taken care of, and you have started to get to know the person better, ask them a few questions. Here are four questions that I consider to be absolutely pivotal when talking to someone about a career that you are interested in:
1) What do you actually spend your average day doing? What different tasks and jobs do you normally do?
2) In your personal opinion, what would you say were your greatest keys to success? What has enabled you to get to this point thus far?
3) What do you consider to have been your biggest mistakes or downfalls? What would you have done differently if you could do things over again?
4) What are some tips or pieces of advice that you wish people had given you when you first started out on your current career path?
If you are able to find a minimum of three people in a vocation that you are interested in, and you speak to them and have them successfully answer these questions, you will wind up having so much more information than you did before. You will be both empowered and enlightened, and you will be better equipped to decide what career path you would like to eventually pursue.
It is always best to be as prepared as you possibly can, especially when you are making a major life decision that will wind up affecting you for quite some time.
You may very well be opposed to the idea of networking at the very beginning. Reaching out to people that you do not know can be incredibly difficult and uncomfortable. Feeling this way is normal, and you are by no means alone. I hope that you manage to push through this discomfort, and that you eventually become skilled at this type of socialization.
It is incredibly useful for many different reasons, and a majority of industries require networking (social or not), at least to an extent.
Consider your options: being indecisive and potentially picking a career that just simply does not suit you, or picking up your cellphone and making a few phone calls to some strangers. When you look at it this way, one option is clearly superior to the other. Do not go down a rocky career path simply because you are afraid of meeting and talking to new people. It is common knowledge that the best way to become skilled at networking is to practice it. In fact, this is how most skills work.
Eventually, you may come to the conclusion that a certain career path suits your passions and interests nicely, but you lack the skills and job experience to successfully enter that industry. If this is the case, this does not mean that you would not be successful if you chose to pursue that specific vocation. However, it may mean that you could potentially have a more difficult time establishing yourself and becoming hired.
or go back to last chapter:
