How to build a professional network
Similar to how I got started with internships, the opportunities you are presented with can very much depend on your network. Who you know can often be more important than what you know in an industry like fashion or retail. In Toronto specifically, it was a small industry and so a handful of key players were the ones to get close to. When you grow up in a small town and have no connections, how is it you get started?
Understand the path to key contacts
Not that you will be able to get directly to the CEOs of the biggest companies, but you need to know who they are and how you can get closer to their network. These contacts will vary dependent on what sector you’re interested in: design, buying, marketing, wholesale… Think of it like that seven degrees game you used to play, by working your way through the network at a level more accessible.
Some lower hanging fruit - read: not at all less important, often times more important to your potential insights to the industry - might be previous interns, or assistants to more senior roles. If you are volunteering at events, be aware of who the other volunteers are and who they know. Sometimes you can even help each other out as you work your way up.
Get your name out
This may sound very 2010, but business cards used to be a thing. You start a new job and you get a new set of business cards. You hand them out in meetings because that was how you kept in touch and were able to follow up afterwards. When I was trying to promote my brand, who I was and what I was capable of, I made my own business cards. I actually recall about 3 different versions over the years! I was pushing my blog and rather than giving myself a title I focused on my degree and interests. It was short, snappy and hopefully memorable.
Fast forward to 2021 and the age of business cards is over, but it doesn’t mean you can’t take those principles and apply them. Use LinkedIn instead to connect with people right after you meet them and be sure to send a personal message along with it. Nothing is less effective than a connection request from someone you don’t know who leaves the standard “I’d like to connect with you” invite.
Seek out mentors
Though I wouldn’t recommend trying to connect with someone you don’t know on LinkedIn, there is a right way to do it. Maintain your intention that a new connection should be able to share insights about their experience and mention that in your message.
When I first moved to London, I looked through people who worked at companies I would want to be employed by and tried to find things in common with them. For instance, I used my Canadian-in-London angle with other Canadians for advice on how to break into the industry. I met a woman who was working at Liberty and had previous experience at Club Monaco in Toronto before she moved. By reaching out to her over LinkedIn and explaining how I had just moved and was looking for some advice, we met up for coffee a few times and she gave me some really helpful tips. I made sure that my first priority was making her a contact rather than leveraging her own network for my benefit, so that I built trust before I ever asked for a favour.
What I continue to learn is that everyone, no matter how experienced or senior, needs mentors. As you learn you may also become a mentor for someone else! This is a big reason I wanted to pour my experience into this site and have also sought out opportunities to mentor others. Being a mentor is empowering and just by asking the right person you might unlock a new branch to your network.
Keep in touch
The final thing I would recommend in building a network is to nurture it. Networks are like a garden, they need to be watered and pruned or they dry up. You don’t want to be that person who leverages people they don’t have relationships with. It’s like that person from your high school who reaches out 10 years later despite the fact that you were never friends… the audacity! Don’t be that person. Respect someone’s time and ensure their memories of you are positive and remind them that they might need to ask for your help one day too. It can be a two way exchange and you need to pave that way for your network.