Networking for technical professionals in five simple steps

Insights on how to network

• By reaching out to previous colleagues and managers, a professional network can be consistently built.
• Engineers can connect with clients, colleagues and previous coworkers to build out a professional network.

Are you trying to build a professional network? Networking is not about making connections quickly and inconsistently; it is about making them slowly and steadily.

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Professional networks bring you to that next great career move or introduce you to a new client. According to novoresume.com, 85% of new jobs were obtained by networking. An Apollotechnical.com article indicates that executives believe they would lose 28% of their business if they did not network.

Another LinkedIn study showed that 79% of professionals recognized its importance and only 48% said they keep in touch with their network. In other words, just by networking a little, you will outperform one-half of other professionals.

But how do you network? It was a tough time for the architecture, engineering and construction industry when my career started. The great financial crisis began shortly after I graduated from university. With the macroeconomic uncertainty, many projects were canceled and put on hold. During this time, I lost five different engineering positions. I was ready to give up on being an engineer. I had not been able to build up a book of people I could reach out to either, so things felt hopeless.

A friend recommended that I connect with someone we had worked with at one of our first jobs. So, I sent him an email. He remembered working together and told me I should try one of his old buddies.

Networking is vital for engineers’ careers. Courtesy: James Hanley, generated by AI

I was nervous and my confidence was at a low point. But I suspended my disbelief and called. I got through to the contact and name-dropped. Immediately, he laughed and said they were looking for someone with my experience. He invited me in for an interview the next day. I was so unprepared that I did not even have a suit available. I told him and he laughed again. “Don’t worry about your outfit. It’s casual here.” I felt welcomed and was excited to meet him. The next day, I went in for the interview and walked out with a new job.

Attend a networking event

This experience highlighted the importance of networking to me. Even after, I wondered if I could replicate this. My new boss was an exceptional networker, so I followed his lead. I asked what I should do and he said we should attend a networking event.

We got there and walked into a huge room with lots of people. I did not know anyone and wanted to leave immediately. My boss was wheeling and dealing with lots of people. They were laughing and commiserating on old projects. I thought that If I wanted to be like him, I needed to go to networking events. After going to several more, I was not making progress, but I did not know why.

Separately, I was missing a buddy I used to work with. We got together and caught up. It was just like my boss. We talked about old friends and projects and laughed about our experiences together. And just by talking to them, I learned a lot. Time passed and we stayed in touch.

Then it hit me. My old boss had been seeing his old buds at the big networking event. The only difference between us? He had developed relationships for much, much longer. I reached out to people I worked with on projects. I reconnected with managers and direct reports. Over time, my network has grown tremendously.

What are some of the lessons I learned? If you nurture your relationships, your network grows with compound interest. Small investments build up over time. Networking can be done online or in person. You can network with business contacts, personal contacts, or other parents at your child’s tee-ball game.

How to start networking

So where do you start? Here are some tips for anyone who is looking to build their network:

1. Start small: Going to an event could be intimidating for anyone. You might get the heebie-jeebies by reaching out to a stranger online. If this is you, start with an old friend from work. You can do this in seconds from your cellphone. Ask how they are doing. See what they are up to. If you are feeling good about the contact, ask to take them to coffee. Once you have completed this successfully, you have increased your network.

2. Be consistent: Once you have started working on your network, make it a habit to reach out to someone every Monday morning. Once Monday comes, open your phone and look for another old colleague you have not connected with lately. Reach out and see how they are doing. You have increased your network again! Rinse and repeat. Bonus points if you can do two or three reconnect messages per week.

3. Build resilience: When you send out your messages, some people will not answer. This is more about them than it is about you. They could be busy and forget. They could be going through tough times. Do not let their responses interfere with your goal of building your network.

4. Broaden your horizons: Do not limit yourself to texting people. Reconnect over email or LinkedIn. Talk to people you do not know at conferences. Make new friends. Keep building your network.

5. Connect in all directions: Reach out to old managers. Talk to former direct reports. Call people you collaborated with on projects. Send a note to your college and high school. There are endless places to expand your network once you get comfortable.

Do not just take my word for it! This Forbes article (written by an engineer, so you know it’s good) outlines many more ways to network. The author recommends LinkedIn, personal networks, job fairs and networking events. They even include step-by-step instructions one of his clients took to get a new job.

Hope this helps you to keep growing your network!

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