Love networking? Avoid these 3 mistakes

10/08/2015

The term "networking" is a new word to describe the speedy and interconnected nature of communication, especially over the Internet. It?s something all professionals seem to be doing all the time but not all of them are doing it well. Here are 3 networking mistakes people often make.

Too much of self-promotion

If what you're going to say doesn't add value to the life of another person, just don't say it. Nobody cares about how knowledgeable you are unless your knowledge is of use to your connections. If you're not fighting for a cause, your opinion ? however strong and clear it may be ? doesn't amount to much and most professionals won't even bother about it. Make sure that what you've got to say is interesting to your audience. One helpful tip is to sometimes provide analysis instead of just parroting information that people can find elsewhere.

Being disorganized

Imagine a person regularly showing up on your feed with posts that range from the latest in alternative medicine to Gothic architecture, from ridiculous memes to serious investment advice. What would you make out of that kind of behavior? Would you look forward to having a business meeting with that person?

Not welcoming open discussion

It's a good idea to engage discussion and even some healthy debate. Just don't cross the line between a healthy intellectual debate and mudslinging.

This is the first of a short series of blogs on networking. For our regular posts on contract employment, visit https://www.rangam.com/media/category/contract-employment/.