{"id":2077,"date":"2020-04-17T19:31:05","date_gmt":"2020-04-17T19:31:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/?p=2077"},"modified":"2020-04-17T19:31:05","modified_gmt":"2020-04-17T19:31:05","slug":"building-professional-connections-as-a-rookie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/17\/building-professional-connections-as-a-rookie\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Professional Connections as a Rookie"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i>By Paige Grimmer<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Entering the workforce can be a daunting time in any young adult\u2019s<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>life. A new beginning also comes with trying to find the right place for you. With the presence of LinkedIn,<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>making professional connections<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>has been<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>as easy as pushing a button.<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>But making connections that are valuable and meaningful require work. As the saying goes, \u201cit\u2019s all about who you know,\u201d and that stands true even in the era of social networking. Here are some of the things that I keep in mind when working with new clients or meeting members of the media:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Be Proactive<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The biggest hurdle that I had to overcome when starting to make those important connections was getting over being uncomfortable. That initial conversation may not feel right or be nerve racking, but you have to start somewhere when meeting people.<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>I\u2019ve learned that having<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>a list of content or story ideas prepared<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>ahead of time is important<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>so<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>that<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>you have talking points when speaking in person or on the phone.<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>Re-read<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>and edit your email to sound professional and structured with your main purpose of the email laid out clearly. Making those connections improves your professional network,<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>but<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>also<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>helps your clients\u2019<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>exposure in the media.<\/p>\n<p><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Establish a Working Relationship<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Establishing a working relationship with members of the media or your clients<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>not<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>creates trust and shows that you are a reliable worker. Just recently, I reached out to a member of the media that I had seen around but had not worked with in the past to pitch a client. After the initial dialogue, I offered my range of clients to create content<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>together<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">.\u00a0<\/span>That<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>initial interaction<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>along with gratitude started a conversation of how and when we could do more work that<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>not only<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>gives clients more exposure,<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>but also furthers their<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>brand as well.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While genuine friendships can form, finding the balance of being professional and friendly is important to not<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>be<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>disregarded when it matters the most.<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span> It is critical to remember you are there to do a job.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Don\u2019t Stop Trying<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Becoming comfortable in a professional setting and with new people comes with the foundation you establish when you start working and becoming more confident. Just because you know what you are doing and comfortable in that,<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>doesn\u2019t mean you<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>should<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>stop trying. Content ideas and trends are always changing. Pushing yourself to create and explore new avenues is<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>not only<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>beneficial for your clients, but also broadens your<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>skillset. As soon as you stop trying, the people around you will notice and there is always someone who wants to continue to grow creatively and professionally who can take your spot.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Stepping into the professional world is a big transition in life. Bettering those skills and connections will ease the transition and further your<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>knowledge<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>as a budding young professional.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Paige Grimmer \u00a0 Entering the workforce can be a daunting time in any young adult\u2019s\u00a0life. A new beginning also comes with trying to find the<span class=\"excerpt-hellip\"> [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2078,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2077"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2079,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2077\/revisions\/2079"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}