Why you NEED to be networking

Ok, so today we are going to talk about networking and more specifically, six big benefits of doing it.

If you are looking for a career in sport (or in any sector for that matter) you will probably have to do some form of networking. You may have heard the term, but you might not know exactly what it is, and even wonder if it's actually worth it...

Reason 1
It will help you to become seen or be noticed. You might think that you might not be interested in doing that initially, but you've got to think that when you do first initially leave University, for example, nobody is going to know who you are.

There's going to be a limited number of jobs for a huge amount of people. You need to be seen if you want to stand out from the rest. Networking allows you to do that and it can be done, both online (Twitter and LinkedIn), and also in person (events, courses etc.). So in short, reason number one is to get your name out there, which will lead to more opportunities.

Reason 2
The next reason is that networking will allow you to build your confidence. When you first start in your career you might be a little bit intimidated by people that have been in the industry for a long time. Although understandable, there is really no reason to feel like this. This point also covers both online and in 'real life'.

For example, the more cold LinkedIn messages that you send out (of course, don't just be spammy) will give you more confidence. You will start to see what messages work better than others and it will start to break down barriers of contacting people that you don't know.

If we think about this for a live setting, it can be tough for some people to speak to people they don't know. It is no different for me. It's natural. However, by going to events and introducing yourself to people, asking questions and learning about what they do will get much easier over time. Like anything, you have to practice. By putting yourself in those positions more often, your confidence will grow.

Reason 3
The next point I'm going to speak about is touched upon in the first one and that is that networking will open up opportunities. You've got to imagine that if you are meeting, connecting and speaking with more people, then those people are going to be involved in different roles themselves. This can then lead to them offering up opportunities for you that otherwise you may not have known about (especially if you aren't well known yourself or just starting out).

Remember, in the early days, nobody really knows what you are capable of doing or knows what skills you have. However, the more you get out there and speak to these people, getting involved in different organisations or societies, opportunities are going to materialise.

Let's say you message somebody on LinkedIn. Who's to say that a role doesn't comes up either at that person’s club or organisation or they know someone that is looking for a particular analyst and they can recommend you or point you in the right direction.

In short, networking is definitely great for finding opportunities. Opportunities won't typically come and find you. If you want a job or specific role, then the chances are that you will have to go out and find it.

LinkedIn is a great way to network. Check out the video below for more tips on how LinkedIn can help you to get the job you want:

Reason 4
The next thing to mention is that networking can lead to you getting new perspectives and also learning from other people.

Let's say you are a football analyst and you've just started out. You've got your first job. Great. You're learning all the new stuff in terms of football analysis but once you get settled in, there's no harm in networking with other football analysts, but also then analysts in different sports too.

You could connect with some analysts in rugby union, tennis or cricket and they might be doing things a little bit differently than you. More than likely you can then learn from these people and start to implement so things that they do, into what you do.

Another point to this is that these other people likely came from different universities and different backgrounds. They've maybe done work experience at a completely different club or sector. Can you learn from those skills? The answer is probably yes, but also, you can share your skills too and you will find both parties can benefit. New perspectives are definitely a big benefit of networking.

Reason 5
Maybe this is an extension of a couple I've mentioned already in terms of widening your reach, but you've probably heard the term of 'everybody knows everybody' within sport. Well guess what... it is actually true!

Everybody really does seem to know somebody or at least know somebody that knows somebody (if that makes sense!). If you haven't networked with somebody at 'Team 1" but have networked with someone at "Team 2" the chances are that these two people might actually know each other or know someone in between.

It is very much interlinked and so you can imagine this on a on a much larger scale, this can be a great way to grow your network quickly and effectively.

It actually tells you this on LinkedIn too. You can find out if you have any mutual connections with a particular person. If you are wanting to network with someone that you're not connected with, but you notice that you've got a mutual connection, you can use that as an icebreaker to send your first introductory message.

Reason 6
Finally, networking can actually build friendships. And who doesn't want a few friends. It's hard to make friends as an adult!

A lot of people that I would class as very good friends started as a connection in a work or a professional capacity. If you are being polite and networking with all of these different people and you're actually just being yourself, and just an overall good person, then you can likely make friendships too.

Remember, these people may have similar interests if they're working in the same industry, so the chances are that you will be able to kind of create friendships out of this and again that's obviously outside of work, but it is very important.

If you want to see a video I did on this exact topic, check it out here:

Remember, there are many ways in which you can begin networking, both online and offline. There are different events that happen every now and again and even just people on your course at university or things like coaching qualifications or CPD. You won’t be alone, and most of the time, others will be happy to connect as they will be looking to network too.

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