We all know that networking is an essential career skill. But that doesn't mean we like it. However, when you look at life as an opportunity to network—and come prepared to turn your everyday interactions into connections—networking is made easy. Missy Manriquez, a Duck mom with years of experience in talent management, brings you strategies to take the worry out of networking. Whether you love or dread a networking event, Missy's tips are sure to help you keep up the momentum of your network!

Build relationships 

Networking is about building up your network and your relationships, both personal and professional. Don't forget, as you're looking at people in your network, that they have connections too! Those connections can also become part of your network. If you haven't already done so, connect with those folks on social media. 

Informal networking could include going to a meetup group, striking up a conversation with someone in line at the coffee shop, or going to your child’s sporting event and talking to somebody on the sidelines. As for the formal side of your network, you could be looking at professional organization affiliations or even volunteer groups that you're actively a part of. 

Prepare for your networking event

When you're preparing to go to an event, it's great if you can identify a friend to go with. It's always nice when you are walk into a room and you have a familiar face with you. If the event posts a list of attendees and companies, look to see which companies you'd love to get to know. Is there somebody that's doing a job that you think sounds really exciting and you'd like to know more about it? Make a targeted list of four or five people you'd like to get to know at that event. 

Make sure you research the organization that's hosting the networking event—because you want to be able to speak to the people there—but have some talking points. You also want to be able to connect with somebody from that organization, be knowledgeable about them, and what it is they're doing. Get your elevator pitch together, so when somebody asks, “Tell me about yourself,” it rolls off your tongue. Your answer should be about a minute long, and you definitely want to make sure that you have something ready to say when people ask you that question.

Network like an expert 

First and foremost, ask questions and listen. Don't monopolize the conversation. Questions you can ask include, “Tell me about yourself—what brought you to this event?” and, “What industry challenges do you encounter in the job that you're doing?” Make sure you're driving that conversation, but not doing all the talking. You want to make sure you're present and you're sincere in your interaction. You're not on the phone, you're not looking around, and you're being present with the person you're talking to. 

If you find yourself in a group of four or five people, make sure you're not excluding other people. So, if it's just you and one other person leading the dialogue, consider how can you bring those other people in so they're not feeling excluded. When you're asking questions, you're really fishing for ways to identify common ground with individuals so that you can start realizing who some of their really good connections are that you should make. You've got things in common, whether that be personally or professionally, but you're really looking to pull all that information to bring together. 

Be mindful of listening to what's going on around you. You might be touching base with the person you came with, but make sure you're not staying together the whole time. Branch out and try making more connections, so that when you've been in a conversation for a while, you’ll be able to gracefully detach from that conversation and then have some follow-up later after the event. When you're winding up a conversation you can say, “It's been great talking to you and I really enjoyed getting to know you. Excuse me, I need to go meet that person over there.” If you see somebody from the four or five people you’d listed that you want to meet, you can say, “This has been a great conversation. I'm going to go ahead and continue to mingle.” So you're signifying that your conversation is coming to an end, but you're really acknowledging and thanking them for their time, their conversation, and the connection that you made with them. You’re not just walking away or looking disinterested in the conversation. 

Following up is key

After meeting people at an event, connect with them on LinkedIn that night or the very next day. The longer you wait to connect with them, the less likely they may be to accept your invitation. People are busy, and they're meeting other people as well. You want to try to make that connection while the interaction is fresh in their mind. If you've had a meaningful conversation with someone, and exchanged contact information, even if you were to connect with them on LinkedIn, send them a private message. Thank them for their time and tell them you really enjoy getting to know them. Suggest you might meet them at future networking events, or invite them to meet for coffee to continue the conversation. It's always nice to get a personal note, even a personal, handwritten thank you note. Who doesn't like to get those? You want to ensure you're getting to those connections right away and thanking people for their time. 

Your network is built on how much time and effort you're putting into it, so it's really up to you to continue to expand it. Tools like LinkedIn make it very easy by sending you notifications about your network (example: letting you know a contact just started a new job, so you can reach out to congratulate them). There are also LinkedIn groups you can join based on your interests, which can help in solidifying and expanding your network. It takes practice, but it’s something that gets easier with time. 

I encourage you all to go out and network in informal places. It is very easy to do. We all find ourselves in situations where we're standing in line with somebody or going to a holiday party, so it's very easy to connect with folks and practice. Then the professional settings become more comfortable in time.