How to Network With Your Friends for Professional Reasons - The Muse

How to Network With Your Friends for Professional Reasons - The MuseHow to Network With Your Friends for Professional Reasons Friends are an important part of anyones professional network They generally have connections in different industries than you, and because they know you so well, theyre often able to come up with valuable ways to help you advance your career. But Ive found that it can feel weird to network with your social circle, whether youre asking for an introduction or conducting an informational interview. Blurring personal and professional lines with a close acquaintance puts the relationship in a new context- and that can sometimes feel uncomfortable. To me, it feels like there is more at stake when I involve someone I spend my free time with in my professional life, because I often care about a friends opinion of me more than that of a networking contact. I also dont want them to feel like Im taking advantage of them by asking for favors or introductions. To successf ully network with the people closest to you, start with these four strategies that made it easier for me to reach out to my friends with professional questions.1. Be Direct About Your IntentionsIf you want to connect with a friend to talk about his or her professional network, make sure to be straightforward about your intentions. Theres nothing worse than meeting up with someone for a drink because you thought he wanted to simply hang out- and then realizing what he actually wanted was to talk about all the people you might be able to connect him with. Ive found its best to simply send an email making it abundantly clear what Id like to talk about. If I want to get some insight into a friends industry, for example, I might write, Id love to chat with you about your work experience. This approach can seem formal, but in my experience, situation expectations upfront makes the actual conversation go much more smoothly. 2. Pick and ChooseYou can only ask your friends for so many favors before they may start to think youre taking advantage of the relationship- so make sure to use your favors wisely Before you ask someone to help you out with a professional question, think about how long its been since you asked him or her for a networking favor. If it was recently (i.e., within the past couple weeks), you may want to hold off or ask someone else in your social group for help. If you cant get around reaching out to a particular person a few times in a row (if, for instance, he or she is the only person you know in a particular industry), it can help to acknowledge the frequency of your requests I know Ive been emailing you a lot about my job search lately- its been a really difficult search for me and I really appreciate all of your help. 3. Do the Dirty WorkWhen you network with your friends, its important to make the process as easy for them as possible by taking on some of the harder or more time-consuming parts of the networking tasks. For example, if I ever as k a friend to introduce me to one of her professional contacts, I like to type up a short paragraph about myself that she can copy and paste into her email introduction. I also try to prepare for a networking conversation with a friend the same way I would for an informational interview with a stranger- by coming up with specific, targeted questions- so no one feels like Im wasting his or her time. 4. Dont Cross the LineWhile you may feel more comfortable with your friends than networking contacts, its important to make sure your requests dont cross the line. For example, never ask a friend to stretch the truth for you. This includes asking him or her to deutsche post ag a recommendation on LinkedIn or write a job reference for you if youve never worked together professionally. You should also never ask a friend to do something for you that makes him or her feel uncomfortable. This may seem like a no-brainer (no one wants to make friends feel uncomfortable), but can actually be a li ttle tricky. For example, I wouldnt have an issue with passing along a referral to a VP at my company, but a friend of mine may work at an organization where thats considered unacceptable. To address this issue, I usually give friends an easy out when I ask for a professional favor, so they dont feel trapped by my request I know its a very busy time of year for you right now, so I completely understand if you dont have time to get to this.With the right strategies, you gain valuable professional advice from your friends. However, remember that its not a one-way street- as you network with your friends, you should look for ways to help them, too. After all, thats what being friends is all about.Photo of friends networking courtesy of Shutterstock.