If you’ve had much experience working in an engineering or technical field, you’ve probably heard it said that professional networking is one of the most important things you can do. No matter what industry you’re in, networking is often the key difference between achieving success and simply dreaming of it. Despite all of this emphasis on networking, there’s a good chance you rarely hear anyone talking about how to go about it.

At One Tech Engineering, our engineering and technical recruiters work with Twin Cities professionals to help connect them with the best jobs in the field. It’s our goal to help you become a professional success, and we understand the importance of networking in that equation. In this article, we’ll talk about making professional networking work for you and how our engineering recruiters can help.

Networking With Purpose

When you don’t know what the secret is to good networking, there’s a good chance you’re trying to accomplish it without a focused approach. For many less experienced engineering professionals, that means passing out business cards to anyone who will take them and leaving them everywhere.

It also means attending conferences and networking events that don’t necessarily offer many professional benefits. This type of networking can be a good learning experience, but it doesn’t always do much to help advance your career. In short, it’s unfocused and unintentional networking, and it’s taking your energy and focus away from better potential opportunities. On the other hand, having the right professional tools to network with purpose can be a career-changer.

Intentional Networking

Intentional networking is networking with purpose. The focus of intentional networking is to build your network by connecting to people that add value to your professional experience. To build a network that helps you gain professional value and experience, you need to take a more strategic approach rather than simply connect with everyone you encounter in the industry.

Your goal should be to build a network of professional connections like these:

●        Sources of industry insight and information

●        People who have good connections themselves

●        Mentors

●        Allies

●        Individuals with more industry experience

If your goal is to expand your professional network, it’s important to make sure you’re connecting with people who benefit mutually from the connection. Be strategic and proactive in making your professional connections. 

At One Tech in Minnesota, we believe that relationship-building is the key to a successful career as much as it is the key to the success of a good engineering firm. Our engineering recruiters can help connect you with the right organization so you can begin building your professional network. Whether you’re looking for electrical engineering jobs, mechanical engineering jobs, or structural engineering jobs, we can help. Our engineering recruiters are waiting to hear from you at 952.884.9199, or you can contact us on the web to learn more about how we can help grow professionally.