How Do Networking Skills Help You?

Photo Courtesy: dearbarbie

Imagine you need to deliver a speech, but you are not that great a writer. Now you can spend hours fretting over how to put your thoughts together in a way that would sound appealing, or you can call a friend who is a great writer to help. This is exactly one of those situations where knowing the right people at the right time helps.

How often have you seen certain people entering a famous club or a fancy restaurant when you have been waiting in the queue for an hour just because they had contacts? It sure is frustrating being on the other side where you feel like “Mister Cellophane”. Networking, especially today is very helpful, that is, if you want your life to be a little easier than it is.

There is no harm in having access to all that you can only because you have contacts. After all, contacts can not be established overnight, and a lopsided parasitic relationship can not survive for long. As long as both the ‘parties’ involved stay within ethical boundaries, networking saves those involved a great deal of unnecessary effort.

In fact, at times, whom you know makes a lot of difference. Imagine a scenario where you have a talented kid but you cannot get him an interview with the best school there, just because you are not rich enough. If you know someone on the board of trustees, what is the harm? You are not exactly snatching someone else’s chances, and your job is done.

Because there are so many pros of networking, it does not mean that you should make networking your prime concern in life. If you depend on everyone for everything, you will run out of favors and of those who are prepared to do it. Networking is a social tool where you are supposed to contribute at least as much as you need.