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w̶i̶e̶l̶d̶l̶i̶n̶u̶x̶.̶c̶o̶m̶
I want to do professional networking, make some professional connections, and make the connections last -- not many of them go beyond the group where we met. The professional relationships usually stay in the medium where they started. Next time at the monthly meetup I again say hi. Or maybe not. At least it feels that way.
How to bring my career professional networking to a "next level"?
Career remix!! Do it with peple! Network all the things!!!
Here are some ways that I have, or can, network:
There are a lot of channels there; how to focus my overall networking strategy?
1.) Continue calling individual people on the phone (like in: "For a Software Developer How to Network" (http://w̶i̶e̶l̶d̶l̶i̶n̶u̶x̶.̶c̶o̶m̶/2016.php#2016-08-31)).
2.) FOLLOW PEOPLE, (not projects/things/blogs/processes) Meaning, once I meet some people at a professional meetup or wherever, don't only wait until the next monthly meetup to contact them again. For one person with whom I got along well and was professional, call or email them before then to check in and ask what they're up to and learn from them.
3.) Move away from only blogging on whatever I want, all by myself. Instead, after having talked with someone about a topic. Later, blog about that specific topic. With the person's permission, find out whether or not the person would agree to me mentioning them in the blog. If they say yes, mention them in the blog post. This way, it is networking at the same time as blogging!
4.) On twitter, tweet @ people. Don't just tweet a link to my blog post and hoping someone sees it, instead tweet it @ someone whom I see tweeting about something related. Join in conversations on twitter. @ people is the key.
5.) In general, online, don't just read. Reply there. Join in the chat conversation. Calmly voice my professional opinion on professionaly relevant topics.
6.) Read .org forums then reply, the goal being to connect with the person. Find out who I'm replying to. Look for forum posts written by people who are active on their own public channels like blog or twitter, etc. Follow them on their public channel and if they write with professionalism and if it resonates with me, then publicly comment over there.
8.) Make it about the *PEOPLE*/PERSON. At an in-person event or online, always be looking network by having a conversation with someone. ( As opposed to just going to the group and listening to a speaker's talk and then going home) In addition, talk about the event or the project with someone, both before & after. Always. This is what makes it networking as opposed to mere media consumption.
9.) At an in-person meetup, ask someone where they publish online, or how to reach them after the event. Afterwards, I liked what they had to say and if they were professional, then read what they're up to in their public online space. Comment back to them there. To be genuinely interested and curious, I should seek the person on *their* preferred online public medium. So, if they like to blog then I can follow their blog and comment to them. If on their about page they publish their email address welcoming feedback then I can email them telling what I think of their blog post.
Finally I should remember it may be structured professional networking but it shouldn't be forced or non-genuine. Personally I have had bad experiences with a conversation trying to be forced (from both ends -- at times I've been the person trying to force a conversation, and at times someone has tried to force a conversation with me). That's unpleasant, akin to meeting an overly-pushy salesperson. If there's no professional chemistry, don't force the conversation; drop that thread. Chase the conversations where there's chemistry there!
These have been some ideas that can form a strategy of how to, as a Web Developer, advance my career through networking.
Tags: #mingling
Note: This post was pre-published on 2016-09-25.
Note: This post was re-pre-published on 2016-10-28.
[2019 edit: Moved to: https://i̶n̶v̶e̶s̶t̶o̶r̶w̶o̶r̶k̶e̶r̶.̶c̶o̶m̶/2016/... .html.]