Written by  Keerthana Suresh

Living in Toronto, I learnt the hard way that an immigrant’s life is no cake walk. The life you create here as a newcomer is going to help you live your life generously as a settled Canadian. Out of the many things we do to establish ourselves and our professional selves, networking is one of the most important one.

For me, networking was and is still a hard task. There was a certain feeling that I wasn’t following the rules. So are there any rules? Not really, but I spoke to a lot of people who got networking right and I figured there are set of do’s and don’ts. So here I made a list of important things to keep in mind to start networking and maintain that network.

 

The right things to do

 

• • Be confident and comfortable with yourself.

• • Know the worth of the person you are networking with.

• • Do your homework. Know the background of the person/people you are networking with so you know what to talk about.

The wrong things not to do

 

• • Going unprepared will lead to conversational awkwardness. This will lead to you making small talk which is not a professional thing to do.

• • Being over chatty and over friendly will give an impression that you are networking with just an objective to land a job and not anything beyond that.

• • Never, ever mention that you want a job reference directly.

 

Connecting and creating that professional network you want is not enough. It is much more important to maintain and grow the worth of your network. Again, this requires efforts and a kind of strategy that is both right and totally doable. Few things that will help you to maintain this network –

 

• • Connect with them on social media and regularly engage with them on the topics of their interest. If you find something that you know will be of interest or value to them, send it to them.

• • Be sure to mention their names and vouch for them among your circle of acquaintances.

• • Celebrate everything that is important to them; Birthdays, new job, life milestones etc.

• • Be updated in their professional progression and talk about it with them.

• • Last but not the least, do not go overboard in whatever you do but be sure to stay on the line with your network.

 

These are just few important notes that I have deferred from both personal experiences and words of advice from dear friends. Remember networking is a really good way to find good friends and will benefit you in building both your professional and personal self. So get out there, be your best self and network the right way!

Know more about Keerthana Suresh, author of this blog.

Keerthana lives in Toronto and she is an aspiring Communications Professional. She is currently doing a lot of contract jobs and right now she’s working at the Toronto International Film Festival for the Tiff 2023. She likes to call herself a writer and she’s also an active blogger.

If you meet her, you’d always see her carrying a book around. Books are her world. Adding to her beautiful world are her husband and her almost 3 year-old daughter. She loves telling stories to her daughter and she also occasionally writes children’s stories. She’s a people person and she loves to listen to the interesting experiences people have to share. She’s hoping to soon start an active career in Public Relations and Communications.