By Rachel Farrow, GOBankingRates
They say it’s not what you know, but who you know. Although it’s incredibly important to be skilled, being able to talk the talk is another valuable component to getting hired and being successful in the workplace.
See the networking skills you need to adopt ASAP if you want to take your career to the next level.
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Skill No. 1: Make Small Talk
Even if awkward chit-chat feels painful, making small talk breaks down invisible barriers, which makes you more approachable and human in business interactions. Networking capitalizes on the human element, and by honing your personal touch, you’re making yourself more valuable to potential business contacts — as well as making yourself far more pleasant to be around.
Skill No. 2: Always Follow Up
If you think your memory isn’t the best, take solace in the fact that you definitely aren’t the only one. When you get back from a networking event with a massive stack of business cards, you might be tempted to shove them aside for some R&R. Instead, solidify the link between names and faces — reach out for an adequate follow-up interaction to make that connection more concrete. Your extra effort will pay off in spades.
Skill No. 3: Get Active on Social Media
If you skew on the more unplugged side of things, keeping up with the constant deluge of information that accompanies social media can feel overwhelming. Opting out of the wave will leave you stranded when it comes to business relationships, however.
Think of it in terms of “out of sight, out of mind” — by removing yourself from people’s feeds, your name isn’t coming up in their thoughts on a daily basis. This further removes you from their arsenal of valuable contacts. Most social media platforms are completely free, so log on even if it is simply to do your due diligence and stay in touch for business purposes.
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