Quick tips: Networking for the busy engineer

Quick tips: Networking for the busy engineer

It’s easier than you might think

BY JEFFREY BAUSCH

Networking is an effective way to establish a name for yourself in the industry, but for many engineers it can be a bit hard to find enough time away from the job to travel to trade shows and industry events where opportunities to interact are more prevalent.

Fortunately, there are alternative methods that allow you to expand your network in your off-time:

#1: Get online

Online social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn make it a breeze to meet other industry professionals as well as stay in touch with former colleagues, classmates, and professors. The more popular of the two, Facebook, has come a long way in the last few years. What once was strictly a social-networking site has since seen an increase in professionals who use it to create specialized profiles for employers to see. The reason for this is because it’s now fairly common practice for employers to search the site for additional information beyond what’s provided on a resume. If you haven’t thought about setting up a professional Facebook page for yourself, consider this scenario — when employers (or other industry professionals for that matter) come across your professional Facebook page and sees updates on projects that you’re working on, links to industry articles that you find interesting, and sound, educated discussions taking place on your wall, they’re more likely to form a favorable impression of you than if they were to come across a profile ripe with Farmville requests and unflattering pictures of you from last weekend’s barbecue. It takes just a few minutes to set up a profile, but the time invested comes with considerable long-term benefits.

The other option is to keep your Facebook profile private and instead create a LinkedIn account (there’s no sense in getting into how to adjust Facebook’s privacy settings as they’re likely to change — yet again — by the time this article gets published). What makes LinkedIn a great alternative is that it’s specifically designed for the modern-day professional. Here, you can upload your resume and list your work experience so that those in your network know where you’ve been and what you’ve been up to. You can also join industry-specific groups, several of which are dedicated to the various fields of engineering, and post a topic of discussion to begin having conversation with other professional colleagues. This simple exercise, believe it or not, is actually a remarkably effective way to quickly expand your professional network.

Whatever your site of choice may be, in order to keep your name fresh in the minds of the people in your network, you need to be active; that is, don’t just set up a profile and expect the world to come to you. Update your status with industry news. Post questions. Share links to interesting articles. The idea behind doing this is to establish yourself as a well-informed thought leader so that should an opportunity arise, whether it’s to provide advice, participate in a project, or fulfill a staffing need, you are the first person that the people in your network will think to come to.

#2: Join local industry associations

Be careful with this one — only join groups that have a positive reflection on your “professional” character, not your “social” character. When you do find an appropriate group, attend local events as often as possible so that you spend time with new and established members of the association. If your group has a hierarchy in place, make it a point to also try and spend some face-to-face time with a high-ranking member or two every few visits. One thing to keep in mind — don’t join too many groups. Being a member of ten associations is not as advantageous as being an active member of one or two groups. Employers are more likely to hire an individual with a clear focus, not someone who just wants to be friends with everyone. So pick and choose the groups you want to belong to carefully.

#3: Align yourself with a mentor

It could be a former colleague, professor . . . whomever, but make sure it’s an industry professional who you feel comfortable going to in order to discuss career options and/or special problems that you come across. Be open to their suggestions and offer to help them where- and whenever possible, too.

It’s good to have an extra set of eyes and ears out there in the industry, especially if it’s someone who has your best interests in mind. The job market today is tough, but if you have someone in your corner, you stand a much better chance of discovering new opportunities out there. This is especially true if your mentor happens to be well-established in your field, as you can benefit from having an “in” to their own personal network. It helps make introductions and meetings with their colleagues that much easier.

The true value of networking

How much networking helps you is in direct correlation to the amount of effort you put in to it. Opportunities do exist — you just need to put yourself out there. If traveling to industry events is not an option, consider these alternative methods as worthwhile solutions to expanding your network. ■