My 6 guiding principles for developing a valuable engineering network

On a daily and weekly basis, I work to continuously improve my engineering network.

If you are not looking for a job and think you don’t need to network now, then you clearly have not been reading my material.  Therefore, I suggest you jump over immediately and read my article that will explain to you why you are wrong, then come back and read this article; Why you need to build your engineering network EVEN if you are not job searching

With that out of the way, I wanted to share the six ideas that guide my networking in general and on LinkedIn specifically . . .

1. Having more connections is nice, but building that number for the sake of having a bigger number is meaningless. Aim for quality over quantity where possible.
2. Yes, I accept all connections, but I really like when someone uses the ‘Add a Note’ feature and tells me a little about why they connected. This helps us connect a bit deeper from the get go.
3. Don’t worry about HOW a connection can help you. Just connect & engage and opportunities will arise. The engagement part is really crucial to developing the relationship.
4. NOBODY is beneath you or is unable to teach you something. We all see things in a different perspective and have different experiences from which others can benefit from learning.
5. Don’t focus too much on one ‘type’ of person. Sure, I tend to focus more on engineering connections overall, but I am open to connecting with anyone regardless of their career path (or lack thereof)
6. Help whenever you can. It might be a simple gesture from your end, but that can make the biggest difference to someone else.

Do these resonate with you? If they do, start to keep them in mind as you move forward in your network development.

If not, then I recommend you take some time to think about what your guiding principles can be and start to follow them on a consistent basis.

Are we connected?

For those of you who are on LinkedIn, please feel free to reach out and connection with me as I share a lot more mentoring material there as well, https://www.linkedin.com/in/solrosenbaum/

Need some additional guidance & materials?

Let me send you TWO FREE GIFTS to help you along your journey towards being a successful engineer . . .

1. Guidebook for Developing Your Engineering Network. Detailed instructions to supercharge your connections! The perfect guide for your job/internship search.
2. 10 Networking Tips for Introverted Engineers. Don’t let your introversion hold you back! Use these tips to start networking without the anxiety.

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