No one on earth with a career worth its salt will deny that professional networking is an essential aspect of expanding and growing, but for some of us making that great first impression is a difficult task to undertake. In London professional networking is an institution since there are conferences and workshops happening pretty much at any given time somewhere in the city; this makes it a perfect location to test and train yourself on that ever important first impression. We’ve compiled a few of the most impressive tips for professional networking that will ensure that you’re remembered long after that first impression.
Measure Your Intention
Knowing your intention is important when attending professional networking events; what skills you possess, what you can offer specific people, what your initial strengths are and how you feel about social interaction are just a few of the things that you need to be clear about with yourself before you head in. Consider what you would say if you ran into yourself; this is an important consideration to have because recognising your strengths mean you’ll know which angle to take in your introduction which is the first impression.
Aesthetically Pleasing
When it comes to the statistics of success in professional networking, there is a very subtle yet effective measure in the correlation of what you wear and how people react. Certain colours evoke emotions from people and help in that initial greeting. If you go to a networking session in board shorts then you’re not going to be surprised if no one takes you seriously, so take pride in your appearance and personal hygiene to get the best results from a first impression. How you look will always speak about what kind of person you are louder and faster than any brief conversation.
Keep a Good State of Mind
When it comes to professional networking, there are quotes that are appropriate to remember about one’s mental state of being. If you’re having a bad day, it’s actually very difficult to act or hide that; you may think you’re doing a good job of keeping your chin up, but on a psychological level humans are very keen at sensing if someone is in a bad way. If you find yourself having a bad experience, then rather miss an opportunity for a first impression than try to put on a straight face because that first impression will last and you don’t want to come across as fake or suspicious.
Be Genuinely Interested
Finally, while you may have a profile up on one of the professional networking sites that you’ve planned to be interesting, it’s far more difficult to do this in person. There is actually a very simple rule for appearing interesting and that is to appear interested; for a first impression, we’re far more likely to have a positive outlook on someone if they have an interested outlook on us. Professional networking is a skill so training up on the tips we’ve discusses will see you making amazing first impression that last.
Eugene Calvini is a writer and career consultant at Atlanta office space; he enjoys sharing his advice with the internet.