Networking for Beginners-Even if You’re an Introvert!

When it comes to networking for beginners, I know the pain. I can be extremely socially awkward whenever I’m somewhere where I don’t know a single soul.

One of my worse experiences of this was breaking down crying during the setup the day before a wedding; the handful of people I knew decided to go run a few errands without letting me know! It didn’t take long for my over-zealous anxiety radar to signal, “Hey! Guess what? Strangers are all around at this event and they’re questioning why you’re even here (even though they most likely were not)! And you’re standing out (also not likely)! Bwahahaha!” *cue irrational panic and fiery anger towards Stevenn for “abandoning” me for a measly 45 minutes (they couldn’t find the things they needed at the nearest Walmart, which was indeed a bit of a distance away). 

You can trust me when I say that I understand how approaching strangers can be less than appealing, especially if I don’t know how to start the conversation. But that’s what this post is about! I figured it out after some turmoil of just forcing my body to approach someone! Granted yes, a little planning can go a long way, so here are some networking for beginners tips, especially for introverts!

Disclosure: this blog has been updated and connected to an Affiliate Partnership. This means that at absolutely no extra cost to you if you choose to click on the book recommendation at the end of this blog and make a purchase, we at Kyrabe Stories might receive a small commission as thanks for your loving support (and desire to learn and save)! Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this blog!

First, let’s establish WHY networking is important! 

I remember growing up playing “The Sims” avidly! I loved that game, but one thing I didn’t understand was why I would go weeks (in game time) without a promotion, question which skills I was missing, then realize it was instead because I didn’t have enough friends! What!? Why!? I have the skills! Why do I need to maintain 10 friendships when I have my roommate and that random neighbor that invites himself over every day at 5 pm on the dot!?

Fast forward over a decade to college when I’m trying desperately to find a job that relates to my Animation degree and have no idea who I’m supposed to contact. THEN is when it clicked, “Oh!!! That darn game was telling me to NETWORK!!” 

Skills can be learned. Meaningful connections must be earned! 

Networking builds connections that may potentially lead to future opportunities, but do not mistake it as a one-way commitment. While networking, it’s important to understand how you can help others as well as have them help you. 

Before we continue, I want you to make a small list of a few things: 

• What skills do you want to learn or improve?
• What skills do you currently have? By the way, don’t be modest here. List anything you can think of, even if it’s underwater basket weaving! 
• What goals do you wish to accomplish this month? Year? Longer? 

Okay, let’s explore ways to build your network so that you can learn and discover opportunities from others and vice versa!

Friends and family 

As far as networking for beginners tips go, this is possibly the easiest to start off with. We can’t choose our family, but we still learn from them whether intentionally or not. We also typically surround ourselves around people who share similar interests as we do. In addition to this, new interests develop from those that we look up to. For example, I got into video-games because of my uncle, and my sisters introduced me to anime and manga! My best friend encouraged me to draw and write stories more, so now I LOVE fantasy storytelling with a variety of characters, all from reading, playing video-games, writing my own stories and designing my own characters! 

As our interests grow, so do our skills and talents relating to that interest! Do you have friends or family members that have influenced your love for something? Reach out to them! Discover how their love for that topic developed and maybe you both can exchange ideas for future personal projects! 

Online chats and forums 

Without realizing it at the time, I was using a form of networking when I used to write stories on a site called IMVU (this was back in 2006, so don’t judge me too harshly)! A group of us were huge fans of an anime called “Naruto”, so we would write missions for other fans of the show to participate in. We would organize mini-meetings in chat rooms and provide constructive feedback to each other’s writing styles. It was fun AND it improved my writing skills! In a way, we were networking to help each other to become better Creative Writers without even realizing it. 

I share this story to help you consider in what ways you might use online social sites to collaborate with others, such as:  

• Do you use Discord to chat while playing video-games with your buddies? 
• Are you active on Reddit to answer forum questions?
• Do you participate in Twitter debates concerning trending topics? 

Your interactions and helpful inputs to others are indeed a form of networking! Follow each other and stay connected. You never know when someone can refer you to help with an issue or the other way around! 

Stores that relate to your interests 

Now, I’m not saying to approach every living soul in Walmart! We don’t want to freak anyone out! This networking for beginners tip is good for local small businesses that most likely either don’t have a chain market yet or have just a small spread. This is mainly because the people who work there most likely joined because they’re more passionate about what the shop offers than its established popularity. Good places to start would be your local discount book store if you like to read and write, a yarn shop if you like to knit or crochet, or a carpentry workshop if you enjoy building things. 

For example, one of my favorite places to network is Best Used Books in Longwood, FL! They normally have a great selection of books to choose from, and because they’ve become accustomed to me visiting (and searching for specific genres), they’re quick to let me know whenever they receive a new trade-in that they believe will be beneficial to me! In turn, I give them shout-outs in our blogs! Boom!  

Conventions and Seminars 

It took me a while to get used to attending conventions on my own. It’s a bit easier if you bring a friend with you to start off. Conventions and seminars are good ways to surround yourself with people who share similar interests as you. With many being more experienced in your desired field, it’s a great way to learn and develop your skills.  

Share your skills too (even the underwater basket-weaving)! Remember that many of us might know a lot about something, but nobody knows everything about anything! Be proud of your talents because you never know who may be searching for the knowledge and talents that you have! 

?Just as a side note though, before you sign up for a seminar, make sure to research the person or company that is presenting. These events are great, but just make sure they’re not advertising a pyramid scheme or a scummy product (if they try to pressure or guilt-trip you into purchasing their product or services, just get up and leave)! 

Networking is crucial when it comes to discovering opportunities, but it doesn’t have to be Mission Impossible! To get started, you can add me on LinkedIn if you have any questions or just want to start making connections! 

Book Recommendation

If you are interested in improving your communication and people skills, I highly recommend the book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. Although it was originally published in 1936, its lessons still hold true in today’s society and is a great guide on networking for beginners!

Now I want to hear from you!

Let’s hear some od your networking for beginners’ tips! Leave a comment about how you have been able to make connections starting out or ask a question if you’re concerned about networking in general! If you found this helpful or know of someone that would appreciate this blog, please share! And if you enjoy our content, please subscribe to the newsletter for more updates! 

Overall, remember to just live life one story at a time! 

Take care,  

Kyndall Bennett from Kyrabe Stories

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