Of course, knowing what you’re supposed to do is one thing but actually walking up to a stranger and starting a conversation, or even messaging someone out of the blue online, is another.
Taylor Crow who works in sales says she’s “fairly good” at networking as it was something she prioritised at university.
“I sent over 200 cold DMs on LinkedIn and reached out to people in the companies I wanted to work at while I was studying.”
She admits it was “so awkward” but it was something she had to do to land the job she wanted.
Her colleague Vicky Peterlin, 24, agrees. “It’s not about being good at networking but more about not being afraid to reach out to people.
“I had thoughts about how I’m not qualified to have these conversations but then you realise there are no rules and sending out emails and messages are free and easy.
“The worst that can happen is that they say no and that’s ok.”
Katherine Leopold, a tutor at Greenwich Business School, echoes this. She says the biggest hurdle is making the first move but if you don’t take the step you are “ruling yourself out”.
The number of applications that organisations are dealing with is “absolutely enormous” so try to meet employers in person and show them your total authentic story, she advises.
“Ensure you say to them, ‘I have this skill, I have this piece of knowledge, so I’m confident that your team is stronger with me in it.'”
