Who should you have in your Circle?
We all know that building a diverse and well-rounded professional network is an essential part of the development and growth of your career. It’s important to have a wide-ranging network, but also one full of people that you value – people that you can be confident will show you helpful insights and useful opportunities. Fundamentally, people that you trust.
In a world of countless social media platforms it can often feel overwhelming to stay connected to everyone you want to, and the sheer number of people you’re connected to can feel inauthentic. Whether it comes to our personal or professional lives, existing social and professional networking sites have hardwired us to value the “how many” over the quality of the “who” we are connected to. We are trained to think that the more connections we have, the more popular we are, and therefore the more successful we become.
However, this approach does not necessarily translate when we’re looking at things from a career point of view. A platform like LinkedIn, for example, becomes a vast database of connections. It’s easy to question why you’ve connected to so much of your network. In fact, only 1% of LinkedIn users actually use the platform to engage with their network, rendering a vast number of those connections somewhat purposeless.
At Reloop we believe that for an effective professional network, quality over quantity is a better principle to follow. A network is most effective when it’s full of people you trust, and people who trust you.
So, let’s say you have 100 people in your Reloop Circle. How can you make sure your network is split up into a varied array of people all fulfilling important roles? We’ve put together a guide to keeping your network as powerful as it can be, filled with the right people to boost your career and shape it the way you choose.
Your role as a Village*
Whatever your expertise or skills, you work in tandem with others in different fields who have complimentary skills. Layout your ‘village’. Draw it on a piece of paper. Who do you need to support you, and help you succeed? For example, an independent accountant might need founders, bookkeepers, web designers, a marketing specialist etc. A UI/UX designer might need back-end developers, business owners, and an accountant.
Broadly speaking, your Circle can be split into a few different categories:
Peers in adjacent fields
This can be the most powerful source of opportunities and advice. Build relationships with people at a similar career level to you who have complimentary skills. These peers can offer support, share resources, and provide a collaborative network for idea sharing and professional growth. There is no sense of competition between you – you are there to help each other’s careers to grow. You can share each other’s skills and availability with people from your own networks giving rise to countless opportunities and new paths.
This category should make up the largest portion of your Circle. We suggest keeping this number at 60-80% of your network
Cheerleaders/Friends
It’s important to leave some room for friends in your professional network, whether in similar fields or not. You can be a source of unconditional support for each other, boost each other’s achievements, and help to make the professional world a little less challenging by having people always on your side. As well as this, when opportunities do arise that friends might be interested in, it will be easy to link them in quickly.
We suggest keeping this category at about 10-20% of your network.
Previous Managers & Colleagues
It’s important to develop relationships with your managers and bosses in order to gain valuable insights about the industry, potential connections and useful career opportunities. Equally, it’s important to keep in touch with people senior to you that you’d like to work with again, or that your peers might be able to connect with, especially in a freelancing environment.
We suggest having this number at about 5-10% of your network.
Mentors
One of the best ways to learn is from seasoned professionals who are successful at what you do. It’s important to continually learn by seeking out experienced professionals who can guide and advise you. They can provide valuable feedback, share their expertise, and help you navigate your career path.
We suggest keeping this group at about 5% of your network.
Trusted peers in your field
Cultivate relationships with peers and colleagues from current and previous workplaces, as well as workplaces you’re interested in. They can provide support, collaborate on projects, and help with valuable thoughts on the industry you share. You can share opportunities and advice with each other, but it’s also important to remember you might be competing for similar roles.
As such, we suggest keeping this segment of your network at about 5-10%.
Juniors
Just as you have your own mentors, you can be a mentor to others. It’s rewarding to share your expertise with younger professionals aiming to develop in their career. In fact, you might even be able to learn from them as well. When it comes to networking, you get back what you give out.
This group could comprise up to 5% of your network.
Your Reloop circle, if curated well, can be one of your greatest tools when it comes to your career. Take some time to look at the makeup of your network. Critically assess who you’re missing and who you need less of to make sure that you’re keeping up with your network in a sustainable and effective way. Love it or hate it, networking is a powerful tool that plays an important role in advancing your career and finding new roles.
It’s key to build authentic relationships based on mutual respect, trust, and shared interests. By nurturing a diverse and supportive professional network, you can expand your knowledge, open doors to new opportunities, and accelerate your career growth.
And remember, it’s never going to be a ‘perfect’ split. But focussing on authentic connections with people you trust – even if your Circle is smaller than you’d like to start – is ultimately going to be more effective in the long run. If you have ‘curated’ your network, and others have done the same – then the Circle of trust grows.
And that’s what Reloop is here to help you do.
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Sources:
* Our thanks to Executive Career Coach and Reloop Foundation Member, Jeremy Canning, for talking us through this concept
Start growing your Circle on Reloop.
Find out more here: https://www.reloop.co/
