[Tweet “The Art of Professional Networking”]

I recently had the pleasure of watching a guest lecturer by the name of Molly Lahr at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Lahr currently works for Gillware Data Recovery but has an extensive background in the art of professional networking. Immediately, Lahr owned the room. She was full of energy, and she made a believer of me before she even started her presentation. For this reason, I decided to write a blog post about my experience and share my biggest takeaways from her lecture.

So why is professional networking important? First of all, I am a firm believer that your professional network is a direct reflection of your net-worth. Furthermore, it can help enhance your reputation in the market which eventually leads to more opportunities for your brand.

When you’re attending an event be prepared to explain who you are. What is it you actually do? What makes you different from everyone else in the room? Why should you be remembered?

Molly Lahr’s Top 5 Do’s of Professional Networking:

1. Be ready to meet people
2. Have your elevator pitch ready
3. Set mini goals for the event and network with a purpose
4. Find common ground with people
5. Follow-up

Molly Lahr’s Top 5 Don’ts of Professional Networking:

1. Don’t drink too much
2. Don’t act bored or uninterested at the event
3. Don’t monopolize someone’s time or be monopolized
4. Don’t ask for a job at the event stick to networking
5. Don’t forget to follow-up within a week

Great Tool for Professional Networking:

Molly Lahr also highly recommends the company Brazen Careerist for career advice and services.

Check out their website here: http://www.brazencareerist.com/