{"id":64164,"date":"2014-03-11T11:30:32","date_gmt":"2014-03-11T16:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=64164"},"modified":"2014-03-11T11:22:32","modified_gmt":"2014-03-11T16:22:32","slug":"introverts-can-network-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=64164","title":{"rendered":"Introverts Can Network, Too!"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Emma Pinault, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Delaware<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Introverts Can Network, Too!<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Emma<\/a>Networking and making connections in your field is vital to career success, whether you\u2019re just starting\u00a0out and looking for a job or looking to move up into a more challenging position. We all know this. But\u00a0not everyone is a people person, and the field of librarianship seems to attract more introverts than\u00a0most. For some of us, networking doesn\u2019t come naturally. However, with practice it can become easier.\u00a0Here are a few tips to keep in mind when looking for ways to make professional connections:<\/p>\n

1)\u00a0 First, take a deep breath.<\/strong> Relax. Remember that networking doesn\u2019t have to mean a huge party or\u00a0conference where you can\u2019t leave until you\u2019ve met and chatted with everyone. There are other ways to\u00a0reach out to people.<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0 Build up your social media presence.<\/strong> Maintaining an up to date LinkedIn <\/a>profile can help connect you\u00a0with potential future colleagues, employers, or professional mentors. Starting a blog on an aspect\u00a0of your field you\u2019re particularly interested in can also raise your visibility and provide opportunities\u00a0to connect online. Alternatively, pick one or two professional blogs related to your field to follow. If\u00a0the blogger allows comments, this is an opportunity to start or participate in a thoughtful discussion.\u00a0Otherwise, reaching out by email is another way to open a dialogue. However, you don\u2019t want to limit\u00a0your networking efforts to the computer.<\/p>\n

3)\u00a0 If you aren\u2019t currently working in a library, look into possible volunteer opportunities.<\/strong> Even shelving\u00a0books or assisting with cleanup offers you a chance to meet local professionals in your field who might\u00a0be valuable contacts or mentors. Consider reaching out and getting involved with a Friends of the\u00a0Library organization, if one exists in your area. This can be another way to meet people and help out\u00a0your local library.<\/p>\n

4) If you\u2019re already working in a library, look into your library\u2019s opportunities for training and staff\u00a0development.<\/strong> This is always a good way to keep on learning and keep up with what\u2019s going on in your\u00a0field, but it can also be a way to meet colleagues you don\u2019t work with every day, and expand your circle\u00a0of contacts within the organization.<\/p>\n

Volunteer or look for opportunities to work on cooperative projects with staff from other departments\u00a0or other library branches. In addition to introducing you to new people, this could also give you a chance\u00a0to take on different and more interesting challenges and improve your skills.<\/p>\n

5)\u00a0 Sign up for conferences that interest you, if your budget and schedule allow it. But don\u2019t try to force\u00a0yourself to meet and talk to every person there.<\/strong> Attend sessions or panels you\u2019re most interested in or\u00a0knowledgeable about. Take notes and ask one or two thoughtful questions, if there\u2019s an opportunity.\u00a0Introduce yourself to one of the presenters afterward. If he or she has time to talk, this is a great\u00a0opportunity to have a conversation and make a new connection; if not, simply introduce yourself briefly\u00a0and thank the presenter for an interesting discussion. Set yourself a goal of having a certain number of\u00a0conversations with new people and focus on quality, not quantity, of interaction. A real connection with\u00a0one or two new colleagues, mentors, or potential future employers is more important than awkward\u00a0small talk with a hundred people whose names you won\u2019t remember tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Keep your networking goals challenging but reasonable, and your confidence and ability will grow!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Emma Pinault, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Delaware Introverts Can Network, Too! Networking and making connections in your field is vital to career success, whether you\u2019re just starting\u00a0out and looking for a job or looking to move up into a more challenging position. We all know this. But\u00a0not everyone is a people person, and the field of…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":60376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[69,3592,5538,3598,4712,356,6035,3552],"class_list":["post-64164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-article","tag-blog","tag-emma-pinault","tag-inalj-delaware","tag-introverts","tag-networking","tag-networking-for-introverts","tag-social-media"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Emma-Pinault.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-gGU","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/60376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}