New research from LinkedIn shows that 46% of professionals say networking makes them anxious. LinkedIn career expert Catherine Fisher gives tips on how to engage with your network.

LinkedIn research indicates that 46% of professionals experience anxiety when it comes to networking, with many unsure of how to engage with their contacts. Catherine Fisher, a LinkedIn career expert, suggests that viewing networking as relationship-building rather than a transactional activity can help reduce stress and foster more meaningful connections.

Practical tips include reaching out with genuine curiosity, keeping interactions brief, and offering assistance to others before seeking help yourself. Fisher also highlights the importance of leveraging both direct and second-degree connections, and notes that human relationships remain irreplaceable even as technology advances. Building a reciprocal network can support professionals throughout their careers, not just during job searches.

Are you struggling to network? Follow these tips

Networking, it can be nerve-wracking. New research from LinkedIn shows 46% of professionals say networking makes them anxious, and I can identify. And the same number say that they want to engage, but they don't know what to say to their network. LinkedIn career expert, Catherine Fisher, is here. Thank you for joining us. Thanks, thank you for having me. All right, so nearly half of the people surveyed, they want to engage with their network, but they say that it makes them anxious. Why is it so stressful? You know, it's stressful because people haven't shifted their mindset in terms of networking, and they think of it as transactional, and it's not transactional. It's like a friendship, but it's in the professional context. That network is gonna carry you throughout your entire career, so you really want to think about it differently. This is, like, this network that you're building, they're gonna help you through the good times, the hard times, and not just when you're looking for a job. So shifting your perspective can help. Okay, so what's the best way to break the ice and reach out to that extended network? Yeah, it's, you know, just like a friendship. It is having curiosity and interest in that person, and it's gotten so much easier to see how people are doing in their careers, you know, following them in terms of what they're posting, et cetera. So if you haven't spoken to someone in a while, first thing you can do is just acknowledge it. Hey, it's been a while since we've talked. I love all your content. I follow you. Just tapping in with you, seeing how you're doing. Exactly. Hey, I've got a couple of questions. Could I take 10 minutes of your time, and how can I help you? That is the key. Yeah, make sure you keep it short. 10 minutes, just 10 minutes. Exactly. This is big, though, because I struggle with asking for help, but this next one is huge. You can offer advice, I mean, offer help yourself or advice to someone before asking for help, right? Absolutely, and this is what blew my mind, is that more than almost half of people in the U.S. only use their network when they need something. And guess what? You're gonna need something, but they need something as well. So make sure that as you're building these relationships, that you're doing, it's reciprocal, so that you're, yes, hey, is there someone I could introduce you to, and is there something I could help you with? Yeah, I do that often, even more so than asking for help. I'll call somebody or text and say, let me know what I can do for you. How can I assist you? How can I make your life, your job easier? One, it makes me feel good about myself. Two, if I ever do need something, I don't feel bad. Exactly. Low key, you owe me a favor. I showed up for you when you needed me, so that's huge. I love that. If you feel like your network isn't strong enough, what can you do to strengthen those relationships? So your network is probably stronger than you realize. So when people think, a lot of new grads say, hey, I don't have a network. You actually do. Think first with that inner circle, your colleagues, your former colleagues, your friends, your professors, et cetera. And then it's the people that they know. That's where the real magic happens. It's in that second degree connections. That's where you can really start to build a strong network that goes kind of outside of your comfort area. With this boom of AI, people are concerned about it, but three quarters of the people say that that human connection is irreplaceable. What makes that human connection, that human network, a little bit more impactful than AI? Oh, absolutely. It's the lived experience. It's how you learn. It is, you know, you can go to someone and say, hey, I'm about to pitch my boss this idea. Any advice? Because that's that personal connection. Somebody's been there, done that. Exactly. Knows what it's like. Yes, exactly. That's awesome stuff. Thank you so much. Thank you. This is incredible information. Make sure you take this down. And like Jay-Z said, make your network your net worth. That's how you do it.

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