Why Your Professional Network Is More Important than Your Job

Why Your Professional Network Is More Important than Your JobWhy Your Professional Network Is More Important than Your JobThink you dont need a robust professional network? Think again.No one loves the term networking. Including me. And yet, we all want what professional networking has to offer Opportunities. Camaraderie. Business. Friendship. Reach. Plus, who doesnt love recommending smart friends and colleagues for interesting career opportunities?The problem is that few people like walking into a room full of strangers. But thats not the totality of networking thats just one part of it. Industry conferences and business events are where networking starts, but not where it ends.In order for your professional network to mean something and to serve you, you must serve it. This is why building and maintaining a strong network is so critical. (And no, clicking Connect on LinkedIn doesnt count.)Here are five reasons why Ive found that building a thriving, expansive professional network is even mora important than your current jobInvesting in relationships pays off long termYour resume is where youve been. Your job is where you are right now. Your professional network encompasses all the people youve worked with and known it will also connect you with important people youve yet to meet. Its your past, present and future. After all, you might leave your job, or it might leave you. Your network has the power to grow - and take you with it. But you have to make the time to deepen and expand your network.Read the authors tips on building your personal brand.Your professional network makes you more valuableWhat benefits you also benefits the company you work with or for. Knowing good people who could become valuable clients, vendors, employees and freelancers is key. If you stay plugged into your network, youll also be exposed to ideas and practices outside of your company, or even your industry. That means youll learn things that you wouldnt in the confines of your jo b. This will make you a more effective contributor, and positively impact the way you think about and do your job.It makes you more independent, not lessThe presumption of need makes everyone uncomfortable. But thats why you dont network only when youre in dire straits. Your network thrives most when you come to it freely and happily, eager to give others a job lead, advice or a referral. Consistently devoting time to your network will give you far more options and resources. Its a bit of a safety net. When the chips are down youll find support and be less likely to feel needy, dependent or desperate.Check out these networking mistakes to avoid at all costs.It helps you find (and leave) workI bet you didnt think of it this way. But its so true. All too often we view networking as a way to get us something - job offers, freelance assignments, new clients. And while a healthy network will bring business in, it also gives you a way out of where you are if you want it. Show me a person who feels trapped and stuck, and Ill show you a person who has put little effort into their network.No one really works aloneAnyone whos achieved a thing worth having has done it with the help of someone else. In other words, no creative professional is above networking. And despite all our rah-rah-ing around entrepreneurialism and independence, the fact is we will never not need each other. And thats actually a good thing.Stop seeing your professional network as an umbrella, something you reach for only when it rains. Because if you wait until the day of a downpour, there will be nothing to reach for. Instead, think of networking as an ongoing game, like Minecraft, which holds my nephews attention for hours. You play and win by building stuff together. Your network can be that, too - a game where everyone wins.Terri Trespicio is a writer and brand strategist, and the co-creator of Lights Camera Expert, a program for helping entrepreneurs, experts and authors get media attention f or their big ideas. You can get a free copy of her ebook Take the Work Out of Networking at territrespicio.com.