7 Networking Tips For Introverts: Your Guide to Success
Here’s a question….
What’s the first word you think of when you hear the word “networking.”
Annoying? Fun? Difficult? Important? Lifesaving?
Networking can be a combination of all of those words if you really think about it. If you’re an introvert though, you’ll probably add the words “intimidating” “scary” and “daunting.”
If you’re an introvert, networking can be the single most difficult part of the job search. But you already know this. The reason you’re here is to get help networking.
I have good news, and I have bad news.
Let’s start with the good news so we don’t scare you already.
The Good News
There are plenty of strategies to get you to becoming great at networking.
The Bad News
It’s going to be difficult and it’s going to take practice.
Many of the other articles you can read about this topic will give you strategies and tell you it’s easy. Bing, bang, boom do these few things and bam you are networking, and you have your dream job.
In the real world, in real life, things don’t just happen without actually putting in effort. So, these strategies you are about to read will work, but you are going to have to put some effort into it.
7 Networking Tips for Introverts
Networking Tip for Introverts #1: Leverage Online Platforms:
This one should be the easiest, but it can also be the hardest. (I know that doesn’t make much sense but trust me).
Why It’s Easy:
1. You can do a lot of the work such as building your social profiles, putting together your resume and cover letter, and chatting with potential connections without even opening up your mouth in real life.
2. LinkedIn is your best social media networking tool for most jobs, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home.
3. There is a very low risk of dealing with rejection. If you get ghosted or don’t have great conversations with someone through messaging, you can just move on to the next person.
Why It’s Hard:
1. You need to be pretty social media savvy to get ahead of the competition (use ChatGPT where you can).
2. You need to learn a whole different set of strategies for connecting with people on sites like LinkedIn. If you need help in that department, click on this link to read an article on LinkedIn Strategies.
3. You’ll need to know how and where to focus your networking efforts. (which social site to use depending on the job or career path you’re looking at).
One last thing to note on this, networking on social media can be difficult because you don’t know who you’re actually talking to until you get on the phone/zoom and talk with the person.
This is an old reference, but you don’t want to wind up on the show Catfish because you thought you were talking to the CEO of Netflix but instead, you’re talking to a 55 year old unemployed guy in his mom’s basement.
Networking Tip for Introverts #2: Attend Small Events:
The first networking event I went to was in college, an infamous career fair.
I put on my suit from 8th grade, that I somehow fit into at the time, printed out a few resumes, and put them in my laptop case thinking I looked professional.
When I got to the student center, there had to be about 12 billion people there and 600 million companies with a representative standing in front of a table.
This is not an environment an introvert would thrive in. Even extroverted people like me struggle to find someone to connect with, so an introvert who isn’t comfortable in large crowds would be wasting his or her time.
Instead, find smaller events where you can feel comfortable with a small sized group of a handful of people.
Bonus Tip: Use social media sites like LinkedIn to help you find these smaller group networking settings.
Networking Tip for Introverts #3: Prepare Conversation Starters:
Remember this as you network; some of the world’s best actors are introverts. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t be your authentic self when you network, but having something prepared and pretending you are an actor when you’re networking is fair game.
How You Can Do It:
-Be concise and to the point with your introduction.
-Do some research on who you’re trying to network with to learn something you might have in common, something they might find interesting to you, or how you can be of value to them.
-Don’t try and memorize something word for word. Have a general idea of what you’re going to say and be ready to riff off that.
A Friendly Word of Warning:
If you come across to your potential connection that you are memorizing an introduction, you might come off phony and this will turn them off immediately.
Be prepared, have something prepared, but don’t act like a robot or sound like ChatGPT. Be yourself. Just be ready.
Networking Tip for Introverts #4: Focus on Listening:
As an introvert, your natural instinct is to be on the quieter side, and this can work to your benefit when you are networking.
The best thing to do is ask someone about themselves, and then put your listening ears on.
People love to talk about themselves, their kids, their job, their problems. You just have to keep stoking the fire. A couple of probing questions here and there and you can find out a lot about someone.
This is great for networking because your goal should be to first find out how the potential connection could be of value to you, but then find out how you could be of value to the connection.
You’ll want to offer your skills, expertise and knowledge to the potential connection, so it is a great idea to listen and ask questions.
Networking Tip For Introverts #5: Seek Out One-on-One Interactions:
Any opportunity you can get to avoid the group dinner networking sessions, previously mentioned career fairs or any other group settings and just get to connect with someone alone, the better chance you’ll have to make a more meaningful connection.
This can of course feel a little more awkward because it’s just you and the other person, but you’ll be able to get to learn much more about them, and they’ll get a better understanding of who you are.
Pro Tip:
This does not have to be in-person. Many people think they have to get one-on-one time with a potential connection at a coffee shop or other public setting. This can be great, but virtual can be just as good. A high quality video call can be just as good as being in person.
Networking Tip for Introverts #6: Volunteer or Join Committees:
This is a great way to do something that you enjoy and network at the same time…without even trying too hard.
Maybe your son or daughter is on a sports team that needs a few parents to help out. Maybe you played soccer in college and have a ton of experience. This could be your chance to volunteer, teach soccer, meet parents and other coaches and who knows meet someone who knows someone hiring for a job you’re interested in.
This might sound like a long shot, but you have way more of a chance making a real connection and finding a real job this way than through some cold emails or LinkedIn messages.
The more you try and put yourself out there, the better chance you’ll have for true connections. By volunteering or joining committees, you can do this at your own pace and in an area that interests you.
Networking Tip for Introverts #7: Focus on Quality Over Quantity:
This is true in a lot of cases, especially in networking.
You may be tempted to send out mass email messages, spend hours sending out LinkedIn messages or just sending connection requests to anyone you can find. This probably won’t work out well for you.
Leave the mass emails, large crowds, and career fairs out of your networking strategy.
You’re better off focusing your efforts on researching people in the field you’re interested in and being really specific about who you target.
Focus your time trying to build a relationship with a handful of people you feel comfortable with, rather than trying to hit a number of people in your network. It will pay off in the long run.
The Next Steps After Reading This
Now that you have a few tips in your pocket, think about the ones you can easily take action on.
If you really don’t like meeting with people in person, maybe skip volunteering and small group events and really focus on your LinkedIn skills so you can make strong connections virtually.
I get it, I can give you all the tips and tricks in the world, and you may never feel comfortable networking. The best thing you can do is to find something that works for you.
If you feel too overwhelmed to go at it alone, your coaches at Your Career Strategy are always available to help. You can book an absolutely FREE session to get started.
I promise, if you put the work in, you’ll see the benefits.
Good luck out there.