Possessing a thriving career isn't just about doing well in your job or knowing the market inside-out. To reach the next level, you have to build your brand, making yourself visible and accessible. And one way to build your brand is with networking.
WHAT'S NETWORKING?
According to Oxford Collocations Dictionary: Networking is a system of trying to meet and talk to other people who may be helpful to you in your work.
In a career development context, "networking" refers to how professionals establish meaningful relationships with one another.
WHAT'S BRANDING?
Personal branding is a strategic process of creating, positioning, and maintaining a positive impression of oneself based on a unique combination of individual characteristics, which signal a specific promise to the target audience through a differentiated narrative and imagery.
ROLES OF NETWORKING IN PERSONAL BRANDING
Below are some of the vital roles of networking in personal branding.
*Strengthen business connections:*
Networking is about sharing, not taking. It is about forming trust and helping one another toward goals. Regularly engaging with your contacts and finding opportunities to assist them helps to strengthen the relationship. You sow the seeds for mutual assistance when you need help to achieve your goals.
The Role of Networking in Personal Branding
" Networking is about sharing, not taking"