Furthering your career and expanding your social circle is almost impossible without spending time with colleagues and other people you’re tied to professionally, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise why there are so many networking benefits our work life could reap. And no matter how important it may be, many people still absolutely dread it and despise the thought of spending time with people who aren’t a part of their primary pack.
Spending time with people just because you could benefit from it seems a bit opportunistic. But, unless you’re taking advantage of someone, there’s nothing wrong with finding people who’re able to help you achieve a goal.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out just in how many ways networking benefits your career, but that’s kind of old news.
Have you noticed any changes in the way people conduct their professional life in the past couple of years? (Khm, khm, 2020)
An unexpected lifestyle change has befallen quite a lot of people, who weren’t ready for it whatsoever.
In an attempt to successfully socially distance we’ve transferred all our business online, but we may have gone a bit too far. The moment we’d realized we could work from home we took it to the next level. We started zooming with friends and family instead of meeting them in person. We almost completely abandoned going out and shopping, why would we bother when we can just order stuff from Amazon.
Spending too much time on our own is really taking a toll on both our people skills and our social circle, and that needs to stop. Even now, when the eye of the storm seems to have passed, a lot of people still continue to live the lockdown life. Don’t get me wrong, working from home, and not having to spend hours upon hours surrounded by people you don’t like isn’t something to cry about. But still, spending time in your home alone isn’t the perfect choice either.
There are so many potential career benefits of spending time with new people, but we’re not gonna go there in this post. In this one, we’ll discuss what are networking benefits that go beyond just your career. We’re going to explore what are some areas of your personal life that could benefit as a side effect of your professional ‘getting out there and getting things done.’
FEELING LONELY? NETWORKING BENEFITS YOU GREATLY
Before 2020 we took a lot of things for granted. We had plenty of opportunities to just be around people, and we assumed it was normal. Whether on our job or in school, or whatever the case may be, we were surrounded by people a lot more often.
Well, now the times have changed quite a bit, and a lot of people feel it. A lot of people have become really lonely.
To make things worse, a lot of us have completely lost touch with people we used to hang out with regularly but weren’t that close to.
These new circumstances are to blame for the feeling of loneliness so many people feel, and there’s not much we can change about them. Circumstances are the way they are.
We can, however, change the way we respond to them. Taking every opportunity we get to hang out with new people is a good way to do just that.
If you’ve been feeling lonely lately, and yet you still manage to find an excuse for not getting a cup of coffee with that colleague you’ve been avoiding for months, now’s a good time. If you’ve been avoiding spending time with people after work, if you still shy away from social gatherings, stop it.
There’s no reason to avoid it. Aside from all the ways networking benefits your career, it’s one hell of a way to avoid loneliness. Plus, it’s always good to expand your social circle.
A CHANCE TO MEET LIKEMINDED PEOPLE
Career benefits aside, networking is a great way to meet like-minded people. And if you think that you don’t need more people in your life, I urge you to think again.
As we grow and mature, we tend to lose people we were once close to, and that’s perfectly normal. At the end of the day, not every friend is supposed to be your friend for life.
But, you’re also not supposed to make friends only when you’re young. Sure, making friends as a grown-up is a lot harder, but given the fact that you already know what you look for, you’re much less likely to make a mistake and befriend a person who’s bad for you.
The main question is, ‘Where do I meet like-minded people?’
Places where people who have some similar interests usually go to. Spending more time with colleagues and attending different networking events is a good place to start.
Not everyone you meet will necessarily be your next BFF, but at least you’ll have something in common. It’s a good starting point.
YOUR SOCIAL CIRCLE IS THEIRS AND VICE VERSA
The more people you know the bigger your social circle is. But not in the way you think.
If you know 500 people and each of those people also knows 500 people, then, theoretically, each of you has a social circle of 250000 people. Now, this may not be the most precise estimate, but the premise is rock solid.
Each person you know can potentially, if needed, connect you to each person they know.
This may sound silly, but is it really?
Let’s say, the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen just passed you by. You have no idea who she is, but your colleague tells you that she’s the childhood friend of his girlfriend. Guess what, you’re not just a creepy stranger to her anymore. By association, you’re now a part of her social circle.
The more people you know, the bigger your social circle will be. The wider your social circle is, the more opportunities you’ll have.
A BIG ‘SUPPORT GROUP’
Not only will you have more opportunities to meet people, but you’ll also have a big ‘support group’. A support group may not be the most accurate term to illustrate my point, but hear me out.
Remember the previously mentioned colleague who was able to say a few kind words to his girl’s friend about you? The same strategy applies when it comes to solving problems that may come your way.
Whether you need your tire patched in the middle of the night, or you just want to get a bit more fries on the side of the burger at your pal’s uncle’s burger stand, knowing someone who knows someone is your best bet.
NETWORKING BENEFITS YOUR CONFIDENCE
Getting out there and spending time with people we’re not that comfortable with, can be a daunting task. Especially for those of us with introverted tendencies. Nevertheless, networking benefits not only our professional life but also our personal development.
Low confidence is one of the major reasons why a lot of us shy away from attending work-related gatherings, and even though we kinda feel that we should go out and socialize, we’d much rather snuggle under a blanket and watch The Big Bang Theory or something.
Why is it so? Because we rarely address or try to work on our confidence. We’d rather just stay in our comfort zone and not deal with it. But at the core of the problem lies the solution.
And one of the best ways to work on your confidence is to practice it with people. Exactly what you get to do while networking. It’s a win-win situation.
Conclusion
Even though networking benefits both our professional and personal lives in an immense way, a lot of us feel reluctant to engage with new people. If we were to put our prejudices and insecurities aside, we’d see how many opportunities are there to meet amazing, interesting people, who might be as intimidated by us as we are by them. People who might enjoy the same music, watch the same tv shows, read the same books. People who might desperately need to hear a quote we saw on Instagram that morning. There’s no chance to know who they are and where you’ll meet them. But, relationships and friendships start in the strangest of places all the time. You might as well open up to the opportunity.
