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By Alexander S. Lowry

“Anyone entering the workforce and getting acclimated to their surroundings should beef up their networking skills”, says Alexander Lowry, Senior Vice President of Gordan College. Lowrey spends a lot of time helping individuals perfect their networking skills. It is essential to build a network with the types of employers and careers you want. In order to open the right doors, you need the right industry connections. Getting a call for an interview is part of the process, someone giving you a shot based on terms outside of the interview process is up to you. Networking is what allows that to happen, says Lowry.

Most people are petrified about attending networking events. Lowry believes it’s because they don’t frame it the right way. Attendees usually go to collect business cards or to sell themselves. Instead, go in curious. Aim to learn about the people you’re talking too. Get a sense of the market and their views on critical industry subjects. People love to talk and share what’s on their mind. People love to be heard and to feel their opinion matters. Listening will lead to a natural conversation and they’ll be receptive to what you’re looking for. It sounds odd, but if you focus more on what others need and want, you’ll end up getting much further than you could if you went in asking for something. People like to feel valued, not used.

To read more, go to Mass Appeal Magazine