There is no doubt that especially during these overloaded by communications times a professional network establishment is particularly important. We do construct our circles. While social networks can be initiated effortlessly, a professional one requires our full attention.

Professional network misinterpretations.

Quite many of us even professionals misinterpret “a professional network” with “a social platform’s virtual audience” nowadays.

You can evoke curiosity among your followers on social media platforms – even by technological tricks. But is it professional networking?

My confident opinion is that we must maintain a professional network as the most conservative and classy method of professional communication. As a rule, it is not about the business cards exchange but the first mutual impression: the handshake, the topic of an initial conversation, the mutual interest – the wish to stay connected.

Professional Network: Quality Versus Quantity | Julia Karmaz Larsen

For that exact purpose, professionals meet each other first. And only afterwards, they demonstrate the intention “to be networking.”

And only after all the above-mentioned prerequisites, it is possible to think that the professional you have met is a credible person. And only after all those pre-phases before networking itself, you can reach out to that person despite the working hours or weekends and receive a response indicating that initial wish to continue to stay connected.

“Face-to-face” meeting is the demonstration of the intention to be networking.

We should not be misled by the number of followers on any social even professional media platform.

On the contrary, we do need to meet “face-to-face” first – for us to be able to understand the real value of that professional network since any networking absorbs the most intangible resource – time. Professional Network: Quality Versus Quantity | Julia Karmaz Larsen