How To Network Without Giving Yourself The Ick

Wave goodbye to embarrassment and say hello to new opportunities.

- Amber O'Connor

Making 'connections', going to networking drinks, and 'reaching out' to contacts... Anyone else just throw up a little in their mouth? While professional networking might do wonders for your career, the idea of putting yourself out there with strangers (heck, even people you know), to further your trip up the professional ladder, can be more nerve-racking than meeting a Hinge date for the first time. This explains why many of us steer clear. In fact, according to a recent Cosmopolitan UK poll, 77 per cent of you don't feel comfortable networking, and only half of you have ever attended a networking event.

On the other end of the spectrum? Enter Los Angeles. Now that's a city that knows how to network without shame. Ordering your morning matcha at the local coffee shop and you get chatting to someone in the queue? You have probably just made a useful Hollywood connection. Milling around with your fellow yogis after a class? There's another! And it all adds up. Love it or hate it (and let's be real, most of us hate it), there are no two ways about it: networking is a pivotal part of job progression. So even if you find it awkward, phoney, and painfully ick-inducing, it is time to hop aboard the networking train. Here's how to make it work for you...

CONNECT WITH YOUR CLOSE CIRCLE