Work It Podcast: How to network without anxiety or appearing insincere

Professional networking may often feel transactional, but it doesn’t have to be.

Through her interviews with career coaches, CNA TODAY journalist Gwenneth Teo shares with Tiffany Ang her journey in finding out how to excel in the world of networking.

Here's an excerpt from the conversation: 

Tiffany Ang, host:
We were talking about this idea of not making networking feel transactional. 

Gwenneth Teo, CNA TODAY journalist:
I think that's a common issue that a lot of people face.

Tiffany:
So you spoke to some people for your article. And what did they say about having the right mindset for networking?  

Gwenneth:
For this story, I spoke to someone who struggled with networking initially, but over time, she actually learned that when you attend networking session, you should attend it with purpose.

So for her, her goal is to: Can I learn something out of it? Can I make authentic connections out of it?

So that helped her to go from being scared that there's a transactional nature, to looking forward to a networking session, because she's going to learn something out of it.

So whether is it like you can connect two people together. So maybe you know two different people, they are looking for the same thing. You can connect them together, or you can offer insights on your past experiences or any thoughts related to that person's field of interest.

Tiffany:
I think the connecting part is a very easy way in especially if you are new to an industry, or if you're new to the workforce.

Gwenneth:
And that's what helps the person to remember you better as well, because the person will be like, "Oh, I remember you because you helped me connect with this other person. That really helped me with my work."