Reach Out: The Simple Strategy You Need to Expand Your Network and Increase Your Influence

by Molly Beck

Because increasing your network means increasing the chance for new opportunities to come in. If opportunities are islands, people in your network are the bridges that will help you get to the islands faster. Sure, you can try swimming, but wouldn’t you rather take a nice walk over a beautiful bridge than be floundering in the water all alone?

You are building your network by meeting other people, not meeting other people by networking.

your network has the ability to make or break your entire career. The good news is that you are in charge of whom you know.

people and your positive influence over them are what get you what you want.

Think of your network as a toolbox.

Changes and new opportunities happen on the edge of your network (your weak ties), not with the people you are around each and every day (your strong ties). Working to broaden the edge of your network is more valuable than

networking only with the people sitting around you at work each day.

Weak ties travel in different circles and learn different things, so they can offer us more efficient access to novel information.

Key Items to Keep in Mind When Building or Updating Your Profile

FAQs About LinkedIn

Q: What Do I Say if Someone Wants to Connect with Me and I Don’t Know Why?

Is LinkedIn Just for Job Searchers? Will My Boss Be Mad That I’m on the Site?

Q: Do I Include All of My Job History? What About Where I Went to School?

Step Three: Become Active on One More Social Media Site of Your Choosing

Try to also keep your usernames on these sites closely related to your real name and, to the best of your ability, have the same username across multiple sites.

1Password

Do you love taking pictures? Join Instagram.

Do you love sharing family and personal updates? Join Facebook.

Do you love curating DIY, fashion, home, recipe, and lifestyle content? Join Pinterest.

two times a month.

Hootsuite

would try to have at least 50 connections on each social media site you are active on and then stop counting.

Quotes—

Behind-the-scenes and sneak peeks from new projects you’re working on

Celebrations such as first-day-of-work photos, birthdays

or work anniversaries, or an office or location grand

have your blog be about your industry to show your credibility as an expert in that field.

write on a consistent basis for three months without telling anyone.

Once you hit day 91, you can start sharing with others.

These are the foundation words of your online personal brand.

Knowledgeable • Generous

Creative

Analytical

Organized

not, this is the time to make tweaks so your next 12 postings better reflect what you want to be known for.

Is this how I want to represent myself?

Me: Any tips for people who want to do their very first Reach Out and get such a positive response?

The anxiety we feel around Reaching Out to someone we don’t know is trying to protect us from pain.

Cultural norms can also play into fear around Reaching Out.

make repetition the routine.

Exposure to uncomfortable feelings . . . over and over and over again is the key.

This is just another reason why Reaching Out daily is important—the more you Reach Out, the less power the fear of Reaching Out will have over you.

The Love/Don’t Love Career List

Good goals are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.1

specific

measurable

achie...

rel...

time-...

Having your goals for the next six months articulated is the first step to brainstorming about the people to Reach