Career Growth through Networking

Those who are aiming to grow in their career or grow their business should not forget the importance of networking. In fact, nothing can work better than networking in the present-day world.

In a recent interview, Alice Niyonkuru, an upcoming entrepreneur from Burundi, along with Christopher Vuba, an urban planner-cum-entrepreneur and a Mandela Washington Fellow from South Africa insisted that they would not have begun their business ventures if they had not done effective networking. They added that they would not have prospered also if they had not networked with the right people.   

What is networking?

Interaction with people, exchanging information and developing contacts are the main ingredients of networking. If carried out in the right manner, it can help people in furthering one's career or in improving business.

Alice Niyonkuru points out “The world is not an island, you cannot have a thriving career or business without the help of others, which is where networking comes into place.” 

How to network effectively

1. Be always ready for networking

Some people have a wrong notion that their networking sessions are confined to scheduled business meetings. But in reality, you can network even when you walk on the road, wait for your bus to get back home, etc.

In other words, you should always be mentally ready for identifying the unseen opportunities that may be around you. Even cab drivers or watch guards may need the services or products you offer or the qualifications you may have.

2. Investing in your appearance is a must

Whatever may be your profession or qualification or whichever product or service you deal with, you should try to look your part perfectly. This means when you network with or meet people, you must create a good impression with your appearance. 

3. Keep your cards ready

Whether you are doing your business or are employed or whether you are a self-employed professional, business cards should readily be available with you. By immediately giving your cards when you meet people, you can create a good impression. If you do not give cards during your first meeting with people, there are chances of they forgetting you very quickly. 

4. Never delay contacting them

You should contact the people you have networked with, as soon as possible. According to experts, it is better you contact them within 48 hours. This proves to them that you are giving importance to them. Not only that, you will be fresh in their memory. By contacting them soon, you will be able to create a good and lasting impression in their minds.

5. Use your social media accounts in the best possible manner

Networking becomes easier with social media. Thanks to the effectiveness of social media networking, you can even access those whom you have all along been thinking inaccessible. You should therefore ensure that your profiles on the social media sites project you in the right manner. Every social networking site is different and so, you should tailor your profile according to the site.

Engaging employees, the best way to grow your business

Organizations vie with each other for hiring the best minds and so, they invade top colleges, universities and institutions. But do these hires stay long in the organizations? The fact is a large number of these recruits stay in the organizations for a short duration and start hopping jobs. This means the job of the HR division does not stop with just hiring. They must take all possible steps for retaining thesetalents.

Employees nowadays focus on various other factors also in addition to getting hefty paychecks. Let us have a look.

1. Career path that is well defined

If employees know that there is ample room for growth and that the management will facilitate such a growth, they will be more loyal to the organization. They will genuinely engage in the steps taken by the company to grow. Therefore, the management should put in place a clear-cut development plan for the career growth of employees. When employees feel that their skills and work are valued, they will feel empowered. They will also work hard to deserve the careerdevelopment.

2. Keeping the employees motivated and engaged

Unless the management team takes steps to keep the employees motivated and engaged, they cannot achieve their business objectives. Engaged employees will be enthusiastic in doing their work and so, their productivity will be very good. They may not hesitate to travel the extra distance for helping the organization grow. This means organizations should put in place the best practices for engaging the employees. But unfortunately, most of the companies focus only on the measuring the performance of employees rather than adopting the best practices for engaging employees.

3. Work-life balance

Employers should help employees have a proper work-life balance. Of course, job demands are increasing and so are personal goals. Due to this, employees may tend to over-work. This is certain to lead to fatigue and therefore, instead of coming out with increased productivity, their performance will dip. Hence, employers should encourage employees to adopt suitable time management techniques. They should also encourage them to pursue activities or hobbies in which they are interested. But at the same time, these activities should not be allowed to hamper their working. 

Not only that, employees should be encouraged to do suitable cardio exercises so they can get a good supply of oxygen. This will help them overcome their fatigue. Employers should also encourage employees for setting what is known as "Me-Time" so they can spend quality time with their family or for following their passion.

4. Recognition

Bosses in general do not miss chances to find fault with employees or to point out when the performance of an employee dips. But many bosses fail to appreciate when an employee does a good job. If employees are appreciated for their performance, they will get motivated. This will give a boost to their confidence and they will willingly engage themselves in the efforts of the management in uplifting the company.

5. Collaboration and accessibility

In many organizations, the top management remains "invisible." In other words, employees may not be able to access them. If employees are allowed to collaborate with the top managers, their trust in the system will improve.  

6. Fair reviews

Reviews should be fair which means that they should be objective. Employers can think of having a committee for reviewing the performance of employees so subjectivity and bias are greatly reduced in the reviewing process. In fact, reviews should be key milestones in the career of an employee. The focus should be on the key achievements made by the employee, her strengths as well as development areas. A lot of scope should be made available for discussion at the time of reviewing.

In short, employees' loyalty goes beyond paychecks. Employers should therefore figure out how to engage employees so they will actively participate in the process of the growth of the company.