Networking is a key factor in any career, but many cannot cross over due to the fear of what-ifs. It could be the fear of your networking experiment not going as planned. On the other hand, you may feel uncomfortable becoming a bother to the person who will serve as your professional ladder. Thankfully, with the integration of technology to include career-friendly platforms, you can overcome the fear of networking.

Dealing With the Fear of Networking

Making meaningful connections in the career space has been made easy through apps like LinkedIn. After updating your portfolio to suit your proficiency, you can easily find others in your work. But the best way to connect without seeming like a bother is by:

Tuning Your Search to Similar Roles as Your Own

This is simple. Here, you are trying to attract what you want. Searching for professionals in your field or someone with sufficient knowledge of what you do would help overcome the fear of networking.

Connecting Wisely

First impressions matter — truly. You can have the most creative ways of executing your tasks. But never fail to interest people with your connection request. Carina Clingman, Ph.D., founder of The Collaboratory Career Hub and host of the Biotech Career Coach Podcast, advises on a formula.

According to Biospace, she suggests that the order of things should be name, compliment, reason for connecting, and an open-ended question. Why? She explains:

“Here’s why this formula works: Names are powerful and command attention. Compliments should be subtle; complimenting their company choice is usually very effective. Psychology research shows that giving a reason for making a request—even a flimsy excuse—makes the request more likely to be accepted.”

Ultimately, if your goal is to overcome your fear of networking, then try to spread your wings wide. You can send out multiple connection requests. Not everyone might be accepted, but that shouldn’t deter you, as it takes consistency to achieve anything in life. Be consistent!