All About Professional Networking
It’s often said that it’s not what you know, but who you know. This widely shared adage highlights the importance of connections in professional success. However, research suggests that merely understanding the importance of professional networking is not enough to prompt active engagement in professional networking. Research shows that many people struggle to network because they are anxious about being a burden on potential connections.
Developing, maintaining, and leveraging relationships is a core competency for professionals – these relationships provide access to information and opportunities that facilitate one’s goals.
Although we know we need to network, we may not feel particularly motivated to network. Said another way, we may hold beliefs or attitudes about the type of person who networks and our identity (e.g., “I’m an introvert – it’s too exhausting to network”) or our values (“I don’t want to use people – it’s wrong”). If we feel we lack the personality or skills to be effective at networking, we may develop negative attitudes related to searching for new network connections, maintaining network connections through intentional efforts, or leveraging network connections to achieve our goals.
What are your beliefs about networking? Try the short assessment survey below to better understand your beliefs and attitude toward professional networking.
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What does my score say about my attitude toward professional networking?
Networking Savant (score 83-100%) – Strong Belief:
You are likely to approach professional networking with intentional actions, emphasizing that success stems from deliberate effort rather than personality traits.
Casual Networker (score 56–82%) – Moderate Belief:
You may believe that taking action can enhance your professional network, yet you might still hold some doubts about being the kind of person who excels at networking.
Unsure About Networking (score 0-55%) – Weak Belief:
You might not fully embrace the idea of professional networking. Perhaps you view it as morally questionable, or you may feel that your personality isn’t well-suited for it.
Recommendations & Next Steps
Based on your self-assessment, here are some recommendations:
For the Networking Savant
Keep it up! You are engaging in behaviors to search for new network ties, maintain current connections, and leverage network connections to pursue important goals for yourself. Consider adding to your networking skills by engaging in a new behavior such as reaching out to a potential new contact or asking a professor, family member, or friend to introduce you to someone you’re interested conducting an informational interview with. See Toolkit 4 for more pratical skills and recommendations (link below).
For the Casual Networker
Great job taking some action to enhance your professional network! You may be engaging in some behaviors such as maintaining current connections while also may benefit from new behaviors related to searching for new connections or leveraging your connections. Continue engaging in those behaviors that are working well for you and begin challenging some limiting beliefs related to networking by engaging in new behaviors.
First, understand that it is normal to feel uncomfortable or anxious when engaging in a new behavior – decades of research shows that situations that are unfamiliar to us leads to a physiological arousal (i.e., anxiety). Since people want to feel comfortable, we often avoid rather than approach situations that have us feeling anxious. So, if you are feeling resistant to engage in networking behaviors that feel uncomfortable, that is absolutely normal.
For new behaviors, consider starting small. Engaging in search behaviors to develop new connections is a great first step! Consider identifying 1-2 professional goals. Perhaps you dream of being a software engineer at Apple in Cupertino, California. Start by searching LinkedIn for software engineers that work at Apple that graduated from your university – leveraging university connections is great because there is a shared identity based on mutual experiences. If no one from your university works at the employer / place that you’re interested in, that’s okay! Research shows that people are motivated to help others as a way of giving back and paying forward – so, don’t be discouraged from developing new network connections!
For those Unsure about Networking
You may perceive that networking is not for you. Perhaps networking feels too difficult for you (i.e., you have a low expectation of success), morally wrong, or unimportant to you (i.e., low value for professional networking). Research shows that when we perceive an activity or experience as being identity-incongruent (i.e., too difficult or low value), we are unmotivated to pursue action.
So, for those of us that are unsure about networking, the first step is to develop identity-congruent beliefs around networking. What is one aspect that you can get behind about networking? Maybe you like talking to people, or perhaps you like helping others? Research shows that networking not only helps you but also helps others by letting them providing advice, feel flattered as a valuable expert, and be energized interacting with someone with shared interests and goals.
Consider engaging in new behaviors regarding searching for new network ties. See toolkits 2 and 3 for more information (link below).
Conclusion
To conclude, engage in search behaviors to develop new network connection, maintenance behaviors to affirm, sustain, and strengthen current network ties, and leveraging behaviors to assess or mobilize resources from others to help you pursue your professional goals. If you’re nervous about engaging in new behaviors, know that anxiety related to experiences that are unfamiliar is a natural response that many experience. Rather than accept a fixed mindset based on your beliefs, lean into a growth mindset by engaging in the action anyways and seeing each situation as a learning opportunity to further define your capabilities related to searching, maintaining, and leveraging network connections.
And remember – have fun! You are pursuing your professional goals – how exciting!
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References
Burmeister, A., & Levin, D. Z. (2024). Reframing networking as benefiting the other person (vs. oneself) encourages advice seeking. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2024(1). https://doi.org/10.5465/amproc.2024.182bp
Duronto, P. M., Nishida, T., & Nakayama, S. (2005). Uncertainty, anxiety, and avoidance in communication with strangers. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 29(5), 549–560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2005.08.003
Hudson, B. B. (1954). Anxiety in response to the unfamiliar. Journal of Social Issues, 10(3), 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1954.tb01998.x
Kuwabara, K., Zou, X., Aven, B., Hildebrand, C., & Iyengar, S. (2020). Lay theories of networking ability: Beliefs that inhibit instrumental networking. Social Networks, 62, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2020.01.003
Oyserman, D., Lewis, N. A., Yan, V. X., Fisher, O., O’Donnell, S. C., & Horowitz, E. (2017). An identity-based motivation framework for self-regulation. Psychological Inquiry, 28(2–3), 139–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840x.2017.1337406