7 Benefits of Networking and Reciprocity
Networking is a term that is always brought up whether you are in
school or work. What's all the hype about networking and why is it so
important that everyone talks about it? Well, let me show you why in
this article. I'm sure you've heard the famous quote of "It's not about
what you know, it's about WHO you know". This quote by all means is
correct at every level. You're probably thinking that well you have to
know something right? Right! You do need to know something and that is
knowing the right people. Let me give you a prime example here. Say
someone asks you a question that you don't know how to answer. If you
know enough people, you will most likely be able to get the answer from
someone somehow. Now I'm not saying that you don't have to do any
thinking. You definitely do, but it helps to know some life lines along
the way.
Good networking means knowing a bunch of people. Great networking means knowing a bunch of people, keeping in contact with them, and providing reciprocity. Reciprocity means that if someone does a favor for you, you will be willing to do a favor for them. This helps to not only build a strong camaraderie but also a database of resources you can tap into. Below is 7 benefits that I have personally found from great networking and reciprocity.
1) Finding a career and/or increases the chances of a promotion
One of the top perks of great networking is opening yourself up to a wide variety of career opportunities or promotions. If you get yourself out there by displaying your personality, knowledge, skills, and abilities, you will easily find that some of your peers are working for a company that is looking for talent. If you are looking for a job or career, some of your peers may know someone who knows someone who can put in a good word for you. If you are already working and looking to climb that corporate ladder, networking is probably the biggest trait to have. If upper management knows how you work, your attitude, etc, it spreads like wildfire such as rumors in the office. Many managers know ahead of time when a new position is opening up in which he or she could recommend you for. Never stop networking in a company. You can never get to know too many people or know people too well!
2) Develop leadership skills
When networking, you start to build yourself a list of resources that you can tap into. When you know what each resource can provide for you, you learn to manage them efficiently for your everyday life or even career. Of course, remember that reciprocity is key. You can't expect people to always help you without you also helping them. A great example is when a boss asks you to figure something out that you don't know, you can easily say that although I don't know the answer, I can find it. This not only exudes confidence but also leadership skills.
3) Boost in self confidence
Knowing more people is definitely a huge self confidence booster. It has been shown that people who have more people interaction in their lives tend to be happier (assuming not all interactions are stressful!). That little "Good Morning", "How was your weekend?", and "Good Night" goes a long way with your self-confidence. You feel good internally knowing that people acknowledge your existence and are willing to communicate with you. Also, by knowing many people, you feel more confident in doing certain tasks because you know that if needed, you can give someone a call, email, text, etc for some extra help!
4) Knowledge
Everyone knows that news or rumors travel around pretty quick. Most of the latest news and rumors travel from word of mouth. Well, if you don't network and interact with people, that news will never travel to you. The news and rumors can be important knowledge that can help with your everyday tasks or life. For example, you can find yourself in a group of people who love to share ideas, techniques, tools, etc. Word of mouth here is the key to your knowledge database.
5) Financial/Time benefits
Did you know that networking can also save you money and time? Absolutely. There are many instances where because you know someone, you can get a discount or hook up on some kind of item/service you're looking for. Better yet, for example, if you know someone who owns or works at a busy restaurant, they could easily get you that much needed table quicker and possibly even discount your meal! Again, remember that reciprocity is key to keeping these benefits alive.
6) Meeting new friends/significant other
Everyone loves to meet new people. Some of these new people you meet could end up being your best friend, roommate, best-man/maid of honor, or even your husband/wife. Of course this doesn't always happen but it sure has happened enough times! You can't expect new friends or a significant other to pop out of nowhere. You have to put in the work and time to build that relationship that MAY potentially turn into something special.
7) Opportunities
People always have opportunities for many things. Opportunities can pretty much be anything such as a job offer, an invention, a business opportunity, an investment opportunity, etc. Opportunities here are limitless and you definitely don't want to pull down the shade when a window of opportunities presents itself.
Conclusion: If I haven't convinced yourself to network more from this article then I'm not sure what will. There aren't too many side effects or negatives from great networking. Great networking will only make your life easier, happier, successful, and fulfilled. Take a few minutes to reflect on yourself and see whether you can make some improvements on your networking skills. Believe me, I have personally experienced all 7 of these benefits first hand and I can tell you that I will never stop networking so neither should you!
Good networking means knowing a bunch of people. Great networking means knowing a bunch of people, keeping in contact with them, and providing reciprocity. Reciprocity means that if someone does a favor for you, you will be willing to do a favor for them. This helps to not only build a strong camaraderie but also a database of resources you can tap into. Below is 7 benefits that I have personally found from great networking and reciprocity.
1) Finding a career and/or increases the chances of a promotion
One of the top perks of great networking is opening yourself up to a wide variety of career opportunities or promotions. If you get yourself out there by displaying your personality, knowledge, skills, and abilities, you will easily find that some of your peers are working for a company that is looking for talent. If you are looking for a job or career, some of your peers may know someone who knows someone who can put in a good word for you. If you are already working and looking to climb that corporate ladder, networking is probably the biggest trait to have. If upper management knows how you work, your attitude, etc, it spreads like wildfire such as rumors in the office. Many managers know ahead of time when a new position is opening up in which he or she could recommend you for. Never stop networking in a company. You can never get to know too many people or know people too well!
2) Develop leadership skills
When networking, you start to build yourself a list of resources that you can tap into. When you know what each resource can provide for you, you learn to manage them efficiently for your everyday life or even career. Of course, remember that reciprocity is key. You can't expect people to always help you without you also helping them. A great example is when a boss asks you to figure something out that you don't know, you can easily say that although I don't know the answer, I can find it. This not only exudes confidence but also leadership skills.
3) Boost in self confidence
Knowing more people is definitely a huge self confidence booster. It has been shown that people who have more people interaction in their lives tend to be happier (assuming not all interactions are stressful!). That little "Good Morning", "How was your weekend?", and "Good Night" goes a long way with your self-confidence. You feel good internally knowing that people acknowledge your existence and are willing to communicate with you. Also, by knowing many people, you feel more confident in doing certain tasks because you know that if needed, you can give someone a call, email, text, etc for some extra help!
4) Knowledge
Everyone knows that news or rumors travel around pretty quick. Most of the latest news and rumors travel from word of mouth. Well, if you don't network and interact with people, that news will never travel to you. The news and rumors can be important knowledge that can help with your everyday tasks or life. For example, you can find yourself in a group of people who love to share ideas, techniques, tools, etc. Word of mouth here is the key to your knowledge database.
5) Financial/Time benefits
Did you know that networking can also save you money and time? Absolutely. There are many instances where because you know someone, you can get a discount or hook up on some kind of item/service you're looking for. Better yet, for example, if you know someone who owns or works at a busy restaurant, they could easily get you that much needed table quicker and possibly even discount your meal! Again, remember that reciprocity is key to keeping these benefits alive.
6) Meeting new friends/significant other
Everyone loves to meet new people. Some of these new people you meet could end up being your best friend, roommate, best-man/maid of honor, or even your husband/wife. Of course this doesn't always happen but it sure has happened enough times! You can't expect new friends or a significant other to pop out of nowhere. You have to put in the work and time to build that relationship that MAY potentially turn into something special.
7) Opportunities
People always have opportunities for many things. Opportunities can pretty much be anything such as a job offer, an invention, a business opportunity, an investment opportunity, etc. Opportunities here are limitless and you definitely don't want to pull down the shade when a window of opportunities presents itself.
Conclusion: If I haven't convinced yourself to network more from this article then I'm not sure what will. There aren't too many side effects or negatives from great networking. Great networking will only make your life easier, happier, successful, and fulfilled. Take a few minutes to reflect on yourself and see whether you can make some improvements on your networking skills. Believe me, I have personally experienced all 7 of these benefits first hand and I can tell you that I will never stop networking so neither should you!
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