Look and Act the Part

It is one thing to know how to networking, it is quite another to put yourself in the versed of networking. What is meant here is that you need to look and act the part. Now this is an intuitive statement when it comes to in person networking but for some reason some of this common sense elapses when networking is done through technology.

LOOKS

When attending and even make sure you are appropriately dressed. Dress to impress as the saying goes. But make sure it is appropriate for the event you are attending. You don’t show up in a full blown suite when it is business casual, however that is not to day being a little better dressed than everyone else is a bad thing. Just know what you are getting into before you get into it.

A good rule to follow is if it has a collar, does not have extra pockets, and is not denim it is probably ok.

The same rules of professionalism apply for the online forum. Just because you have the ability to post any picture you want, that does not mean you should. Refrain from posting those less than professional pictures. Everyone has those beach day pictures and the ones from the great party, but they are probably not the image you want to convey to a potential contact or potential employer. And to say you can take them down when you get serious about networking doesn’t work, remember it is the internet and a copy of everything is out there somewhere.

The best policy is to always be professional. A good rule is to not put up any picture you wouldn’t mind reliving at a professional event. But you can take it one step further. There are a variety of web based picture editing services, like PicWash.com, that will edit your photos in any way you want. In fact for those sites you maintain that are meant to be strictly professional portrails of yourself we recommend that you have a professional head shot. These web services can do everything from fix a blemish, add clothing, and even change the background of the picture.

Of the numerous service PicWash is the best, but there are others like fotofix. Whatever service you use it is a good idea to have a professional photo on hand and using PicWash is cheeper than going to photographer. And once you have it you can use it online with any one of the websites you maintain or offline in a resume packet.

BEHAVIOR

Now that you look the part you must act it as well. Most people realize that profanity, belching, and other inapropriate behaviors cannot happen in professional settings. Less obvious, but still in the realm of common sense, are behaviors like excessive drinking and offensive jokes. However there are a few things that are seemingly ok but you as a successful networker probably want to stay away from. While talking about religion and politics, whether local or worldly, can make for an interesting conversation it is not the best approach when you are trying to network with a person or a group of people.

Talk about what you want and go where the conversation takes you, but make sure you keep one thing in mind. Treat each networking encounter like a job interview, because that is what it is. Whether you are looking to do business someone, add them to your network, or actually get a job from them they have to be comfortable with you. The best to get a person comfortable with you is to relate to them, let them see themselves in you. By leading a conversation with a controversial topic makes it harder to relate.

These are important factors of networking, both online and offline. Just because you get behind a keyboard does not mean you can be any less professional or you can start to less than professional conversations in a public forum.