Ambitious Introvert? Here Are Five Tips You Can Use at Your Next Networking Event
This article will offer five tips you can use as an introvert when attending your next professional networking event.
Being an introvert in a room full of highly-social professionals can feel like walking directly into an ocean wave.
Networking as an introvert can be overwhelming.
It can be energetically exhausting.
It can leave you feeling worse than you arrived.
You can walk away with a great deal of self-doubt.
The great resignation has many considering new roles, opportunities, and organizations. Ask anyone the key to landing your desirable next role. They will likely tell you how vital it is to put yourself out there and network.
According to HubSpot, 85% of jobs are filled through networking.
In fact, according to CNBC, 70% of jobs are never published publicly. These jobs are either posted internally or are created specifically for candidates that recruiters meet through networking.
This article is part of a series to help ambitious introverts succeed in their personal and professional lives. Please be sure to follow to keep up with future articles on this topic.
Here are five tips to help you network as an introvert in a professional setting:
- Know the intention:
One way to help curb your anxiety around networking in a professional setting as an introvert is to arrive with an objective. This advanced information gives you an incentive to stay longer but offers an out to leave once accomplished.
2. Hone into your active listening skills:
As an introvert, you have likely already nailed one skill for effective networking: listening. Now you just have to remember to ask questions that ensure your new connection knows you are engaged and interested in what they have to say.
3. Leverage your mutual interests:
Find something you agree on or are both interested in to carry the conversation when it begins to die down or when you start to get nervous. If you’ve asked the right questions, you are now equipped with the knowledge to offer valuable insight or close the trust gap with your new connection.
4. Don’t become who you think they want you to be:
Adapting to the energy or personality style of others will create a potential misalignment in fit and eventually make you feel like you’ve disappointed yourself. Lead with your best self and know that authenticity always wins.
5. You’re the only person who thinks you’re awkward:
The best part about being in a room full of strangers is they don’t know your quirks. You get to present yourself however you desire. But reminding yourself that you’re socially awkward will only make you socially awkward.
Your turn: how did you overcome your nerves at your last professional networking event?
This article is part of a series to help ambitious introverts succeed in their personal and professional lives. Please be sure to follow to keep up with future articles on this topic.
