The power of networking
Networking has long been a powerful tool in the business world, connecting people and ideas to achieve success. Depending on your personality type, be it shy or outgoing, you network in your own individual way. And that’s great!
Here at Hyland, we embraced this notion when we built a community of females and supporters encouraging and inviting each other to build one another up to reach our full potential. We call the program HylandWIN – a women in networking resource group that is part of a larger program that provides resources and opportunities for personal and professional development for ALL Hylanders.
The key to your future
Networking is a key skill that everyone should possess. As a skill, it’s something we should all strive to improve, so we avail ourselves to opportunities we might not be aware of.
In my role as a ShareBase Sales Consultant, networking is crucial to the success of our product through interactions with customers and partners. Networking to sell is one thing, but the opportunity to network for personal growth is another; this is why I joined HylandWIN.
The HylandWIN program enables me to further engage with other females throughout our growing company, but there are many other networking opportunities. Our HR team also hosts a number of self-awareness networking events such as the whole-Hylander program promoting healthy mind and body, or our development and tech support teams promoting women-in-tech activities, like a coding workshop, open to anyone interested in learning about coding.
Finding the right work-life balance is … well, it’s a balancing act, and participating in HylandWIN allows me to expand beyond my role and department and meet other successful females at Hyland.
March celebrates our first anniversary as a resource group, and I am proud to say we have reached over 200+ HylandWIN members, from all different Hyland roles: from support to leadership, from young adults to moms. Everyone shares a passion for bettering themselves and those around them. And HylandWIN provides the platform for everyone to cultivate those productive relationships through speaker events, workshops, or our quarterly Network Gathering Events.
In fact, the first one for 2018 is coming up on April 4th.
This Network Gathering Event is a true opportunity to interact with HylandWIN members through the organization from senior-level executives to new employees. If networking is not your thing, we always include icebreakers to warm up the crowd, so really, don’t worry ‘bout a thing.
Networking tips
For now, our networking events are for Hylanders only, so I encourage you to look for – or start! – these types of resources at your organizations or communities.
I will leave you with a few tips that I attempt to master at these events, in case you’d like to give them a try:
It starts with hello!
Your first connection at an event is your gateway to meeting more people. It can be intimidating at first, but with the right approach, you can join existing conversations or start your own.
A simple “Hello, I’m Paulina and I work in the Sales department, how’s your week going?” can open the conversation to learn more about a group or that individual.
In addition, there are many online resources for industry trends to help you to stay current such as Medium, theSkimm, or HackerNewsletter. Just make sure to stay away from talking politics, religion, or other controversial topics that can quickly turn the conversation into an argument.
Express gratitude
You want people to connect with you because you are being genuine. Develop a curiosity for others and be open to new relationships without judgment. Let people know the impact that they have had on you, whether that’s learning their recommendation of the best Thai place in town or giving you insight to external mentoring programs in your area.
Make sure to let those connections know that their insight was helpful and you appreciate their time and conversation.
In-person connections
In a digital world, where everything is fast-paced, in person connections are your greatest advantage. Research has shown that the internet and cell phones have disrupted many of our conventional understandings of ourselves and our relationships, raising anxieties and hopes about their effects on our lives. So take advantage of opportunities to meet people face to face.
Whether you are working in software or not, networking can be a powerful tool. I hope to meet you in person to share ideas, and create quality connections to enable our mutual growth and success.
- The power of networking - 04/02/2018
