Starting in the workforce is challenging, especially if you know no one in the company or industry you’re working for. As soon as your first day begins, it is vital to secure a few connections you feel aligned and comfortable with in the office.
But how do you connect with your colleagues if you’re someone new? Here are some tips for creating a network for newly hired working professionals.
1. Find Your Mentors
Starting a network begins with the things you’re interested in. Pay attention to the people and projects you feel aligned with and strategise to meet them around it. If you can, avoid reaching out to those without a direct connection with what you do. Instead, communicate with people who share the same interests as you.
For example, if you’re a writer, get in touch with editors and content managers to ensure your work aligns with each other. Meanwhile, if you’re in finance, think about connecting with peers in sourcing and discuss topics relating to currency fluctuations or transportation costs.
After finding the people with common interests, try to learn from each other, acquire their best practices, and use them to your advantage.
2. Source from Meetups
Building connections is now more accessible. Thanks to the internet, attending events with people on the same wavelength is at the tip of your fingers. If you’re working from home, following virtual group happy hours or coffee breaks are good options.
Keep in mind that conversations in these events are often informal and free-flowing. To begin with, people shouldn’t be too stressed about speaking their best as it should be casual talk. It is a fantastic opportunity to branch out and interact with as many people as you may align with.
However, in these events, recall is an unusual process. If you’re going to pursue and make connections with the people you’ve met from the group events, make sure to send them a message through email. Introduce yourself and identify where you met each other to ensure they know who you are, establishing a network together.
3. Join Online Groups
Online groups are ideal for those who are shy to interact with other people in real life. For example, offices using applications like Slack may have various channels where employees can interact with each other. By replying or simply reacting to a message sent on a public medium, you’ll get your name out there, making people know who you are.
It’s also best to join other channels with specific themes or topics to interact with individuals who share similar hobbies and interests. Building a network is as easy as asking about the issues they find exciting and discussing through effective communication. From there, exchanging contact information should be the next step that locks in your connection.
4. Accept Various Responsibilities
Another way to build professional relationships is by accepting assignments that require or involve collaborating with others. By working on a project with different people, you’ll get to know them, identify their work ethic, and assess if they’re a connection you’d like to keep.
On top of that, volunteering for group work puts you high in people’s eyes, which is often an excellent way to bump up your reputation. Many companies have projects that require groups of people to work together. As soon as you get a chance to join an endeavour with several others, grab it and make the most of it.
5. Turn Connections Into Relationships
Building connections isn’t only about saying you know someone because you’ve worked or interacted with them at least once. It is also about building relationships even outside of work. It’s inevitable for people to avoid being friends with those they work with. Therefore, strive to connect with your co-workers and make friends with them even after office hours are over.
In effect, people won’t see you as someone who only aims to make connections for the sake of networking. They will see you as someone who enjoys making friends and building relationships at work and in real life. In a way, people will identify with you more and may make the first move of getting to know you.
Conclusion
These strategies are straightforward, yet people often overlook and undervalue them. Making connections is essential not only for strengthening your network. Instead, it can lead you to better opportunities in the workforce. Remember to choose people who can inspire, help you grow, and teach you tricks in the industry to become better at what you do.
NRG Networking believes in building networks in Australia through a local community that is environmentally stable and economically empowering. It also helps in saving your time, energy, and money. We provide support for start-ups and small and medium-sized businesses, making everyone feel welcomed. Enquire now through our website and see how we can help you build your connections!
