Easy networking for introverts: 7 tips to network effectively in your own company

I spent a lot of last week in Brussels at a conference. There’s a lot to hate about conferences. Travel, time away from home, unhealthy food, and an unfamiliar bed, to name a few. You know what? I can put up with all of that. The thing that I find hardest is the people. More specifically the networking. The need to try to talk to strangers, or people I barely know because, apparently, that’s part of my job. Yuck.

Networking’s been part of my job for over a decade now. I’ve realised that, unfortunately, it is part of white-collar working. If I want to be successful in my career and my journey to financial independence then I need to be able to do it. More importantly, if I need to do it then, on my journey to be happy, I need to avoid it making me unhappy.

While I’ve learnt to fake extroversion for work purposes I’m mostly an introvert. That means that networking really isn’t something I do naturally. Nonetheless, over the years, I’ve picked up some tips on how to make networking less painful and more effective. Dare I say that there are even some aspects of it that I enjoy. If that’s something that you would also like then this post is for you.

This is a bit different from most of networking posts you’ll get as it’s entirely about networking inside your company (I’ll do a second part in a week or two for networking externally) and, while it should work for everyone, I’ve done it for us extroverts.  Before my tips I’ll quickly take you through my views on what networking is and why it’s worth doing.

What is networking?

Networking to me is basically about people. Specifically it’s about getting to know people better and getting to know new people. Even more specifically it’s about having conversations. That’s it. Everything stems from that. But importantly, for me, that is the end in itself.

That may seem a little vague but hopefully by the time you’ve read though the tips the reasons and benefits of doing that (as well as how you do it) will be clearer.

I would also emphasise that my experience is that networking within my current employer has been critical to my career. Most networking guides talk about external networking which I find odd. In every place that I have worked I been promoted at least once. Equally, my biggest pay rises have come from internal moves. That shouldn’t be a surprise. Given the cost of recruiting and the risk and disruption from bringing in an outsider, a lot of managers prefer to promote internally. There is also the advantage that in a lot of cases you pay less to an internal recruit compared to an external hire.

My experience has been that it’s easier to get promoted internally and then move sideways for a pay rise.

Why bother networking?

The first thing to ask yourself is why you should network at all. It can be miserable right? Clutching that glass of warm wine at the side of a room. That sinking feeling as you hand in your coat at the start of an event where you know that there’ll be no familiar faces. Flicking through our email or social media so that we don’t have to engage with everyone. I know that this won’t be everyone’s experience but I’m sure that it may chime with a few people. So why bother?

For me there are two reasons to network. Firstly to improve your career prospects and secondly to make your day job easier.

Help your career fly

One reason to bother with networking is that it can make your career take off. The basic truth behind this is that people do business with people. If you don’t believe that then think about the last time you had to find a plumber or electrician. Chances are that you will have either used someone you’ve used before, or someone that’s recommended by someone you trust. It’s only after those routes fail that you’ll look for a stranger – and even then you’re likely to look for reviews of some form. That’s basically networking in action.

I know that whenever I’m looking to recruit I will always look more closely at a CV if I know someone. In fact, even if their CV isn’t great, if I know them well and I think they are likely to do a good job then I’ll often give them a shot.

Don’t get confused though. The whole idea that networking can get you a new, better, job needs to be treated with caution. Networking is about getting to know people. What networking will do is make it more likely that you hear about a job, it may also help get you an interview. You still have to get the job on your own merits.

Make your life easier

It’s worth also pointing out the second, equally important, aspect of networking which is that it can make your life easier. You’re unlikely to be looking for new job more than every few year. But you’ll have to do the job you have every day.

If your network includes people in your industry then you can share lessons on best practice, or you can find out about trends, or industry changes. If you’re in sales then knowing people may help open doors or help tailor a pitch. All of those can help you be better at your job and help you get promotions or pay rises – or just learn how to work less.

But related to this, the other thing that I would say is that I see networking within your own organisation as more important that networking externally. If you’re trying to make your life smoother then knowing someone to speak to in HR, or finance, or sales, or operations or… can make your job easier or faster.

The networking tips that I use all the time

So here’s what I do myself. As this is about networking for introverts I’ve put them in my personal order from socially easier to socially harder. What I’ll also say up front is just stick with me on this before dismissing it. This is my take on networking from what I actually do at work as an introvert. It may seem odd, and it may not be right for you but I’ll try to explain my logic as I go.

Networking tip 1: It’s not personal

My base line tip that you should remember through all of this is that none of it is personal. My biggest fear in networking was about what people would think. More precisely that people would dislike me or think that I was an idiot. My concern was that I would end up in a worse place than if I hadn’t even tried.

Having now been at this for a while I realise that it’s an outrageously egotistical view of the world. People don’t spend their time thinking about me. Why should they? They’ve got much better things to think about! As long as you have normal human skills like personal hygiene and basic manners people mostly won’t remember you very much.  As an introvert I’m often fine with this.  The thing about my tips is that it’s what I did to get a noticed…just a little bit.

The point of this is that if you try out any of the tips below and find that you’re not getting a result then don’t take it personally. People are busy so the fact they aren’t responding doesn’t mean anything about you as a person. It literally just means that they haven’t responded.

Networking tip 2: Smile

Smile. That’s it just smile at people, all people, a bit more. Not like in a manic or sexy way, or all the time, or like when the firm has just announced terrible results, but just think about smiling a bit more. This shouldn’t need saying but people just don’t smile very much in offices. In fact they tend to grimace or frown.

It you occasionally smile at someone you may just find that they smile back. That means that you’ve made a connection. Which mean you’ll then just be a little more well disposed towards each other. That might just mean that at some point you may have a conversation. And so it starts.

As a side benefit I’m sure that I saw a report of a study that said that even if you’re not happy then forcing your mouth into a smile will cheer you up. So this is a win however you look at it.

Networking tip 3: Good morning, good afternoon and good night

When you get into work in the morning say ‘Hello’ or ‘Good morning’ to your co-workers. Similarly when you leave, say ‘good afternoon/evening/night’. It’s a just a little courtesy or gesture but it, again, is making a little bit more of a connection. This time moving from non-verbal to verbal communications…I know it’s scary…

If you think that this has nothing to do with networking then ask yourself this. If two people are equally able, who are you more likely to promote? The person who smiles and says good morning to you every day or, the person that come into work with face like thunder and spends their entire day tapping at a keyboard without talking to anyone?

Networking tip 4: Hydrate

Water is a good thing. We should drink water at work. Getting water to drink usually requires going to a kitchen area or a water cooler. This gives multiple networking opportunities. First up you can share a few more of those smiles. But, more importantly, it will give a natural opportunity to talk to other people in the kitchen and for them to talk to you. They might just be a few words but again it’s a chance to build another small connection. When I started out I didn’t feel confident in initiating conversations but I had put myself in a position where I could respond to others.

Like smiling drinking water is good for you regardless. Again I think I saw a study that said that that most people don’t drink enough. Heck, even if this doesn’t work from a networking perspective then I’ve found that it’s great for my skin.

For completeness I should also point out that water in one end will mean it needs to come out the other end…I’m not sure that I would recommend trying out your networking skills while the water’s on its way out…

Networking tip 5: Have lunch

OK everyone has lunch but this is about not having lunch at your desk. Whether you buy lunch or bring it in, try eating it in whatever communal eating area your workplace provides for that sort of thing. [I know that not all workplaces have that so that may not work for everyone]. The point here is that you’re again putting yourself in a position where you can, naturally, have conversations and make connections.

This was one of the biggest changes that I made. Just being available at lunchtimes means that people talk to me. It doesn’t need to be about anything important, and most of the time it’s not. But being in the kitchen area means that people will have quick chat while they’re passing through to heat up their food, or get a drink or whatever. Sometimes people will ask if they can join me and, if I repress my introverted tendency to scream in horror at the thought, I say yes and I usually have a good chat.

When you get more confident how about either asking a colleague if they want to join you for lunch or even, politely asking someone if you can join them. They may say no. But that’s fine.  Don’t take it personally…it almost certainly isn’t!

Like a number of these early tips this is just a good thing to do whether you want to improve your networking or not. Having lunch away from your desk has all sorts of other benefits from giving your brain a break to not overeating as well.

Networking tip 6 : Talk, don’t email

I don’t think that it’s very controversial to say that email is one of the scourges of the modern workplace. On one level it has made it easier to get in touch with people and share documents. But in a lot of cases it’s got to the point where people will spend 15 minutes writing an email rather than 5 minutes picking up the phone or walking over to someone’s desk.

My instincts are definitely with the well-crafted email. I like the idea of being clear about what I want rather than in articulately trying to explain myself. The thing is, I know that if I have a conversation then it will be quicker and more productive. I can get feedback and also explain things that may be unclear. Also from a networking perspective, again you’re making a human connection. People do business with people and it’s harder to say no to someone’s face than to fire off an email.

Networking tip 7: Go to the work events

I don’t like work Christmas parties. I don’t like leaving drinks. I don’t like team building events (especially those that are in the evenings where it’s in my personal time). There. I’ve said it.

The thing is that that these sorts of events are where colleagues genuinely get to know each other a bit better. It’s also a topic of conversation for the next few days. If humans are partly pack animals then going to these events mean being on the inside of this kind of pack activity.

If, like me, these things fill you with dread then how about just trying one?  What you can do though is make sure that you’ve got an escape story prepped so you can disappear after the first hour.

Final thoughts.

So that’s the end of my tips for networking inside your company.  In a couple of weeks I’ll plan to do a look at what people think of more traditionally as networking – i.e. building your network outside of your organisation.  But I come back to what I said earlier.  Networking inside your organisation is an important, but underappreciated element of getting ahead.  As part of a journey towards financial independence earning more is a key plank of most people’s strategy.  Getting promoted (and hopefully a pay rise) can often help with that and networking can help you get promoted.

But as I’ve said, this blog is about my journey to happiness with financial independence being one of the aspects of that.  So I hope that, if you are introverted like I am, then you consider whether some of these tips might be a good thing even if you ignore the networking aspects.  A number of these things may require changing habits but hopefully they could be painless.  Getting up from your desk for lunch, being better hydrated, smiling more, getting to know your colleagues better etc could just make your time in the office better.

Thoughts?

Is networking in your own organisation something that you’ve considered?

These are the networking tips that worked for me.  Do you think that there are any of them that might work in your life?

Have you tried just smiling and saying hello?  Has it had any effect?