When should I start Networking?

It can be daunting or even annoying when you hear someone say “you need to network” or “you have to network harder” in order to do XYZ. If building relationships and meeting new people isn’t something that you like to do or something that doesn’t come naturally (let’s face it, most days I’d rather curl up on my couch and watch Netflix with my dog than suit up and go into a room full of random people…), it’s okay to feel that way!

While social interaction is healthy, it’s completely normal to feel uncomfortable when you feel like you’re being forced to do it! However, there might come a time when you ask yourself if you should be ramping up your networking in order to get to your professional or even personal goals faster. Here’s a few questions/thoughts I ask myself whenever the question of topic comes up:

Am I feeling stuck at work?

Could be dealing with a micromanaging boss at work or feeling sluggish or/bored in your day-to-day routines. You want to move - this could range from be a ‘I’m unhappy and bored here’ all the way to ‘Get me the F&#* out of there!” Wherever you are on this spectrum, this could indicate that it might be a time to start thinking about building new relationships or even reviving old ones.

Am I going to be able to achieve my goals?

Or better yet, how close am I to reaching where I want to be professionally? I ask myself this all the time, and the fact of the matter is that networking can help in my field of work (tech); however, this may depend on your industry and occupation, and I’ll elaborate on this one later :)

What else is out there?

Having a point of curiosity is awesome. You could be perfectly happy where you are in your professional journey but still want to explore future roles or even ones completely outside of your field. Let this one marinate as you begin exploring outside interests and careers.

The key point here is that there is no right time to begin networking - but it is important to think about what positives could come out of building relationships and leveraging your existing connections. Networking is a tool rather than a necessity, and sharpening and honing that tool will only help you get to where you want to go professionally.