A topic that we’re always asked about, and a large draw of joining the Chamber, is professional networking; how to do it, improving your skills, tips & tricks, etc. When we had the opportunity to host Yvette Segura, Danielle Cobo and Chimere Sidney as featured panelists for our most recent Competitive Edge Series on The New Age of Networking, we knew it would be a success. Yvette, Danielle, and Chimere are all subject matter experts in their respective fields. Yvette has over twenty years of experience in the financial services industry and now runs her own consulting firm. Danielle is an Elite Career Coach and LinkedIn expert. Chimere is the Chief People, Culture and Operations Officer for Net Synergy Virtual Solutions. Each panelist provided their perspective and expertise in the realm of networking and how it’s evolved in the past two years.
Yvette started out the session addressing that while a lot about networking has changed, one thing that hasn’t is that networking can still be somewhat awkward and uncomfortable for a lot of people. But the first step to pushing past that feeling of awkwardness is to establish your why. Why are you networking? What is the purpose of it and what are you trying to accomplish? This helps to direct your intention and how you go about networking. One of the most important aspects of being successful in networking is to be intentional and deliberate about getting out in the community, just show up and be your genuine, authentic self. Attending a networking event is a benefit for you, it’s an investment in yourself. Yvette encouraged everyone to establish your presence when you’re at a networking event or in a meeting, bring value to your conversations and ensure that people are aware you’re in the room, without being too over the top.
Networking is really just about building relationships so Yvette reminded everyone to take an honest interest in getting to know each person you talk to; ask them questions about themselves or their company – it’s a great and easy conversation starter and you never know where that conversation might lead to. The final part of Yvette’s commentary was reminding people to follow up on the conversation with a note to the person the next day. She urged that if you show up, you’re genuine and you follow up, people will want to help you succeed.
Danielle spoke next and began by asking everyone how they define their brand. Your brand, according to Danielle, is how you show up online, how you make people feel in person and your accomplishments. As a LinkedIn expert, Danielle shared that LinkedIn is your digital footprint, it’s your online brand and it’s no longer just a platform for finding a new job. LinkedIn has grown and it’s the new way for professionals to connect and network online. Even though LinkedIn has evolved into more than just a job search tool, 87% of recruiters still use LinkedIn to scout new talent and your LinkedIn profile can attract recruiters to reach out to you unprompted.
LinkedIn also has the subsidiary of LinkedIn Learning and has thousands of courses that people can take to improve their skills in a wide variety of subjects. After completing a course, you can add that certification to your LinkedIn profile to build up your brand through your accomplishments.
The overall goal of LinkedIn is to have meaningful conversations and engage with other professionals. You can show how you add value by engaging and commenting on different conversations. Danielle acknowledged this can be uncomfortable for some to put themselves out there because we can worry about how we’ll be judged, but she suggested flipping the script from how will we be judged? to how can we add value? Danielle encouraged everyone to start out by just spending one hour a week on personal development and think of what that could do for your brand. The power of LinkedIn is opening the doors to possibilities; what would it look like if you started to show up as a leader and share your knowledge?
Chimere closed out the session sharing her insight into social networking. Chimere defined social networking as connecting, collaborating, and sharing; helping to facilitate the spread of information. She reminded everyone to work through their social connections and social network to increase the awareness of your organization or your business. Chimere tied social networking into the concept of positive psychology, taking care of yourself to ensure you’re not socially exhausted. Positive psychology is about a positive mindset, trying to figure out what makes life worth living and living a more meaningful life by leveraging your resources to reach your full potential. What can we do or focus on that’s right in our lives?
Chimere shared something that has always stuck with her since she first heard it; many people communicate, but very few people connect. Connecting goes beyond just words and trying to relate to people in a way that increases your influence; being authentic, genuine, and real in your conversations. When you’re connected with someone on every level your relationship is stronger and strong relationships lead to an increase in overall wellbeing. Chimere closed by sharing her own story of success using social networking, she landed in her current role through her social network by meeting the CEO of her company years before as a classmate at the University of Tampa in an Executive MBA program. Maintaining their relationship over the years, he thought of her immediately when he needed someone to serve in the role of People, Culture and Operations. Social networking is powerful, influential and can increase your potential for success.
These three panelists all have very different backgrounds but shared extremely valuable perspectives on the broad subject that is networking. We’re thankful to have had the opportunity to learn from their expertise.
Follow our panelists on LinkedIn!