Your Net Work is your Net Worth – Minutes from 2nd February 2022
Hosted by Women in the COO Community (WCOOC) and Women in Leadership Foundation (WIL)
It is important to keep connected at every stage of your career and of greater importance when searching for work. It is estimated that approximately 50% of jobs are not advertised. Therefore, networking is key. How do you build your personal brand and how do you differentiate yourself?
- Nowadays one cannot grow one’s career without actively and strategically expanding one’s network. Networking is never stagnant and always evolving.
- Build relationships based on trust, give guidance and encourage people to be themselves create your own brand
- You don’t have to be aggressive to get ahead. Leaders value diverse perspectives and high quality delivery. You have the ability to bridge the gap and bring your good qualities to the table.
- Step outside of your comfort zone to enable growth and this will help build your personal brand.
- Make it clear that you are looking for opportunities.
- It is important to know what you stand for as an individual, your values and passions are what make you stand out and differentiate you.
- Get your message out there, talk about yourself, the more you talk the more you get noticed. The more people hear about you the more opportunities will open up.
- Network proactively and try to find like-minded people who you will learn from.
- Enable networking to grow pragmatically. Volunteer for things you are passionate to allow your network to grow automatically.
- As Women we have to do more. Men advertise their capabilities more naturally than woman. Woman tend to put their heads down and get the job done and hope that they will be recognised for their efforts.
- Good sponsors and mentors give you the tools to grow your network.
- Networking enables you to have a fantastic support network around you. This is especially important if you are in senior management as you cannot vent to your team. You need the support from a network of peers.
Post pandemic we have found ourselves behind a screen and so people have found that it has become much easier to talk to people. However the world is now opening up again and people are meeting face to face. Networking is not easy for everyone depending on self-esteem self-promotion does always come naturally. You may be an introvert or your may be an extrovert but networking is a learned skill.
- Make a plan.
- Consider how many people you want to network with.
- Remember not one size fits all find your preferred style.
- Ask a series of questions about a person, show a genuine interest. People generally like to talk to someone who is interested in them.
- Remember 90% of the people in the room are not feeling comfortable either and they are in the same situation as you.
- You can learn to be more of an extrovert. Remember that everyone has been at the same point in their life or career. People love to talk and connect.
- Networking is like a muscle. The more you do it the better you get.
- People are successful at different techniques and so different strategies should be tried out to see what works for them. You have to start somewhere!
Capital Markets is an exciting place to be with so many opportunities opening up. It is a good time to look at pivoting careers. Historically Capital Markets was very competitive but now organisations are struggling to find good talent. They are therefore casting the net wider and looking at more diverse backgrounds – so get out there and network!
During lockdown organisations got a glimpse into people’s private lives and saw them juggling work with children, pets and mental health. A healthy work/life balance has become of utmost importance. The lockdown has also opened up a lot of discussion around this and it is important to keep connected.
Don’t worry about reaching out. Someone will appreciate that you have taken the time to do it. Remember you are the person who worries the most about how you come cross. There is no downside to reaching out. The other person will either connect or not respond so don’t panic or worry. Ask for feedback. Focus on building good relationships. If it is a strategic relationship, it is of mutual benefit to both.
Networking is a strong tool but organisations need to show the path to get senior leadership for women. It is a mixture of the two. There are no limits as to where you can get to. You need to figure out what is right. If you get to that senior level how do you stay there by having a fantastic support network in place.
It is never too early or too later to invest in your network – have your resume ready.
