Are you an introverted Career Woman who struggles with networking in professional settings?
If so, know that you are not alone.
Introverted individuals often find it challenging to step out of their comfort zone, but with practice, many have learnt to be more outgoing and confident.
To make networking easier, it helps to break it down into two key settings: familiar settings and situations where no one is known.
Whether you are at a company event where you are familiar with a couple of people or at an external event, the key is preparation.
1. Networking When You Know People
- Prepare Your Mind
Introverted Career Women will network better if they imagine and plan out the whole event.
Talk to yourself about the benefits of being there and what you hope to get out of it.
Remind yourself it is “showtime” and go in with a mindset to network, as networking is crucial for your career growth.
Remember that there is a point in your life when the quality of your relationships, not just your work, will move you to the next level.
- Focus on Non -Work Topics
Start conversations around things that are not work-related. Family, children, hobbies and even pets are easy ways to get people to lighten up and share.
2. Networking When You Don’t Know Anyone
For industry events or conferences where you don’t know anyone, follow the same preparation steps:
- Remind yourself of the benefits and what you want to get out of the event.
- Break the Ice with a Genuine Compliment: A quick way to break the ice is by offering a genuine compliment. You can say, “I love your hair,” or “I love your dress“. Find one thing you genuinely love about the person and say it.
- Introduce Yourself and Your Work: Once you start the conversation, introduce yourself and what you do. For example, “My name is Ify, I do XYZ and what do you do? What’s your name?“.
- Ask Deeper Questions: When the person tells you what they do, ask deeper, open-ended questions like, “How do you do this?” or “How do you overcome these challenges?”. As they talk more about themselves, you can begin sharing and a conversation will start after the event.
Being introverted means you will likely get home feeling tired and drained and that is okay. Once you get home, take a hot bath, rest and give yourself a pat on the back.
Crucially, don’t forget to follow up. Introverts are often terrible at this.
Send a message, “Thank you, it was really nice meeting you and schedule time to follow up later, depending on what you discussed“
