As you advance in your career, you’ll realize that your personal network matters: It’s not only what you know; it’s also who you know. Over the years, I learned that the way we interact with others can significantly alter the course of our personal life as well as our professional journey. Our reputation among our colleagues and friends and family has the potential to make career decisions and life choices easier or more complicated. We can get job opportunities that are not advertised to the public. We can reach nationally-known people in our professional field. We start to look forward to attending social events (instead of being worried or feeling uncomfortable). We can get the salaries that we want and deserve. And the list goes on.
After I decided to invest in my personal and professional network and work on my social skills, I could see and feel the results: Over the years, I started enjoying going to conferences, being in meetings and participating in large social events. I was able to reach people I didn’t think they would respond. I also developed fulfilling relationships with close friends and family members. Just like any other skill, we can practice our social skills and networking skills over and over again. You’ll start to notice the return on your investments, which compounds over time. Whether you label yourself as an introvert or extrovert, shy or a social butterfly, feel anxious before interviews or dread going to parties, having robust tools for handling any social situation can lead you to exciting opportunities. The Networking & Social Skills (NSS) Mentorship program is designed to help professionals who want to grow their personal and professional network and improve their social skills. The NSS sessions last 1 hour ($125) and include:
- How to start a conversation with anyone and putting them at ease
- How to use social media to your advantage when connecting with other professionals
- How to write great emails that catch the attention of the person you want to reach out to
- How to ask the right questions when talking one-on-one with a professional
- How to add value when interacting with other professionals in your network
- How to talk to people in one-on-one situations as well as group settings
And much more!