A lot of folks say that expanding your network is crucial for making a living and climbing the career ladder. But what’s the deal for those who are naturally introverted or prefer to keep to themselves?
For someone who's never really been great at socializing, the idea of building a network can seem nearly impossible. It gets even trickier as you hit middle age, when the job market gets tougher and your habits are already set in stone.
When you look at it economically, networking is often seen as a type of "social capital." Those who have it usually get better info, more job offers, and bigger business chances. But how can someone starting from square one create this social capital later on without changing who they are completely?
Is it even realistic for introverts to enhance their financial situation through networking, or are there other options like remote jobs, online groups, or skills-based income that lessen the need for the usual networking grind?
I’d love to hear from anyone who’s dealt with this and found some solid ways to tackle it.
Network is an economic advantage,realistically.It feeds opportunities,informations,collaborations,which then fuels stability,growth,and recognition.From a place of experience and observation,introverts are builders.The thing about social interaction and networking is not only applicable to introverts.The confusion here is that some extroverts or the interactive ones also find it difficult to be in the right spaces,circles and network strategically.
In recent times, networking has been made very easy and does not necessarily involve meeting people physically or having to say a word to them. Online platforms have made it easier and you can easily network with people of like minds by reaching out online and following up activities there. Most introverts spend lots of time on their gadgets and it is a great opportunity to use your time profitably and network with people.
You can attend online seminars, podcasts, meetups and never say a word but drop your contributions in written form and interested people reach out to you and vice versa and the networking ensures. You do not necessarily need to use your real identity as you can see here on this forum but we network well, access information, offer our services and are part of the community while remaining anonymous. The internet has made networking easier and people don't have any excuse at all.
To be honest, I feel this networking thing is a little bit overrated. People talk about it like it's something you can't do without. It's good, of course, but it's not a prerequisite for success.
Everybody stays in their cycle. People don't get to a higher cycle simply because they networked; they get to that cycle because they worked for it. The networking part is secondary. You don't need to be good at networking or be an extrovert before you can put yourself out there. If it were so, a lot of introverted people won't be succesful. Networking is good, but its importannce or relevance is overestimated.
@intrader i feel you OP im in my late 30s and super introverted always hated small talk and big crowds but yeah networking is a big deal for money stuff it opens doors you wouldnt get otherwise from my experience though you dont gotta change who you are to build it start small with online stuff like this forum or reddit subs in your field just lurk at first then post helpful comments people notice and connect over time i got freelance gigs in crypto trading that way without ever meeting anyone face to face
also linkedin is gold for us quiet types set up a profile with your skills and join groups post articles or comments on posts that match your expertise recruiters hit me up for remote jobs no awkward interviews needed at first and yeah remote work is perfect cuts out the office bs focus on building mad skills like coding or analysis companies want results not chit chat
one thing that helped me was finding niche communities online like discord servers for specific interests you can contribute without pressure and bonds form naturally over shared stuff not forced networking events later in life its tougher cuz habits are set but its doable just quality over quantity aim for a few solid connections that lead to opps not a huge rolodex
anyway dont stress too much alternatives like skill based income on upwork or even starting a blog can pull in cash without much social effort good luck man
Maybe you will need to come out of your shell and put yourself out there more because if you think of it, it is the people who actually put themselves out there that get good opportunities. As an introvert in need of this economic advantage, you need to push yourself a bit more to be outgoing, and even if you can't be as outgoing as an original extrovert, you can be better than your introverted self.
Networking has its advantages, a simple recommendation to an office by someone you know can give you an opportunity better than your certificate at times.
People can become introverted for different reasons - they prefer peaceful spaces, reading a book over going to a bar, they don't like conversation, they find stimulation from others sources, previous bullying or abuse and many other scenarios. However everyone takes a different path in life and has different opportunities presented to them. There are plenty of introverted people that can still communicate or talk perfectly fine, they just choose to use fewer more precise words or avoid what they see as redundant conversation (small talk). That might be a bit of a hobble for them but equally, plenty of smart people in positions of power will often appreciate people that don't talk just for the sake of it or who talk and actually make themselves look a bit stupid - this can work to an introverts advantage.
If you are an introvert, it means, you need to work on other skills that will equip you to compete with others. Because your skills will give you an edge over your competitors even if you are an introvert person. It is like, you need to boost your other angles as an employee or just set-up a small business and just hire other people to work the job that you are not capable of.
Let us put it this way, networking is significant on how you traverse your life. But it doesn't mean, introverts have no chance at life. We always have the option what path we can take but still achieve the same success. But of course, networking will give you a lot of opportunities and will open possible collaborations that you need to uplift your economic status.
Networking is a very essential something for career growth and it helps entrepreneurs, businessman and others in archiving a very immeasurable amount of success depending on how wide the network is, I remember attending a conference and there was a prize pool but the winner will be determined by how many people he can convince from his contact to register a certain trading platform within a specific time frame. The winner had almost twenty referral in less than thirty minutes and he won the price.
Yeah, Introvert have a lot more advantage using social media for Networking without having to meet people physically but sometimes physical interaction builds network faster than social media or online interaction because people seems to trust what they can physical see more and to have a network full of beneficial people, physical meetup and interaction are a bit better imo.
This forum is really a practical example for sure, introverts can network really well using social media if they used it right and theyll have a very good network depending on what values they impact.
It is a valid prerequisite for success in recent times because you cannot achieve success alone, it is easier and better achieved when you team up with like minds and that is the product of networking.
The value of networking is even underestimated. Networking ensures you're visible to your prospective clients. It gives people the confidence that you are qualified for any role or contract since they've interacted with you and know your abilities. It opens doors to recommendations that you wouldn't achieve by merely being hardworking.
You said it yourself, those things you mentioned indeed have reduced need of traditional networking; out of three things you mentioned two particularly online communities and remote work is exactly why I have never felt the need for traditional networking.
I am not sure if making shitposts can be called, 'skill-based income', so I discounted that point.
Social media made the life easier for introverts, I am not particularly a social person but I can do that when it is about career and people can break that introvert too if they are put in a situation so it is not an excuse for losing the opportunity but if you do then you are not going anywhere.
Exactly, this is what I'm about to say, social media in the last 5 years, specially during the pandemic times, it really help a lot of entrepreneur, specially if you are a introverts. You can promote your own product, be a affiliate without showing your face.
And I know a lot of people in our place who are introverts who really made it during that time. However, now that we are back to normal, some of those business fail not because they don't want to go out as they are introverts, but the changing times, it's more challenging now as we also evolved.
People will always want to relate with somebody that is a socialist, somebody that communicate and connects to people, that is the beauty of the society, because at some point they see introverts as a deviant behavior, that doesn't conform to the norms of an ordinary society, because most societies are built on interaction and wide communication. An introvert will face difficulties in striving in the society that deals with people who commutate with each other more, so if the consequences comes, then they should just deal with it.
What I understand from the network widening is that if you were doing only the A job you should consider having B job to the A so that it become two you have or even having more to it so actually this doesn't have any problem to those who are introverted because is what they're use to we are talking about, introverted are not lazy people they work, they have businesses and they have big positions so going for another face that is not what they were doing will not be resisted because of the association issues they have because in business nobody cares if you are someone that speaks the highest English but what customers wants is for you to give them what they came to purchase.
People who are naturally introvert, go through a tough time. The only option for introvert people is to lock in and work on themselves, study more than others, work harder than others and believe in themselves. Extrovert people have life on easy mode compared to introverts because they don't shy away from people, instead, network with people and have a better chance of stepping up in their career.
To my mind, besides extremely hard work, the only option for introverts is to work on their social skills. It's never late to improve social skills. If things are terrible, they can visit a doctor and get prescription on anti-anxiety medications and visit a psychologist. Combination of these two can help them to become extroverts. I don't know if you know popular YouTuber called Togy but he is a good example of how to transform yourself from introvert to extremely extrovert.
Yes, this is the answer.
The covid19 pandemic has previously forced us to develop introverted behaviors; so it shouldn't be difficult to answer this. And the internet fundamentally breaks down geographic, physical, and social boundaries without revealing personality.
One concrete example is that we interact and conduct thousands of dollars in business for years without knowing each member's background, or whether their writing style or popularity reflects their real-world circumstances.
Oh, I'm an introvert and it has negatively affected my life, so negatively that I was forced to change or I would be a lone person without money and friends but it also comes with some advantages. Since I am an introvert, I was forced to do things on my own. Besides being an introvert, I'm also a perfectionist. Now imagine how hard my life could be because of my mental barriers. Since I was a perfectionist and introvert, it forced me to work on myself harder than others and it paid off in the end. Could my path to success be a lot easier? Definitely because I watch other extroverts and they achieved things much easier because of how talkative and easy-going they are but I think that with my work ethic, I'll achieve more than them but honestly, I have to work on myself and become more social.
Even introverts are sometimes able to build better networks in terms of quality rather than quantity. This is because introverts tend to be more cautious in building relationships. They are also usually good at judging people. So when they have friends or acquaintances, these are usually quite special people.
Being an introvert in the digital age will not hinder their career at all. In fact, they can find their own opportunities through the internet or social media, or by becoming content creators or the like. Introverts may seem unaggressive at times. However, behind the scenes or without others realizing it, they can make faster progress. Moreover, introverts are not anti-social. Many successful people are actually introverts.
Networking is very important to be successful in business and carer. Introverts will have to come out of their shells and connect with people who would partner or cooperate with them to make their dreams come through. The internet has made things easier for introverts since they can now connect to anybody without physical contact. Most introverts can now interact with people without facing the anxiety and fear they feel when they have physical contact with people.