Introduction
Whether you’re a freelancer, employee or running a development agency, networking with peers in your industry allows you to build and nurture professional relationships.
Networking gives you new possibilities for career advancement and professional growth, and it increases the likelihood you’ll be introduced to influencers or even be referred to a job.
Let’s take a look at a few secrets to networking success for developers.
1. Build A Personal Brand / Learning In Public
Everyone wants to network with thought leaders and authoritative people, and that is why creating a personal brand is imperative to networking success. By creating a personal brand, you’re establishing yourself as an authority.
You can build a personal website where you showcase your portfolio and testimonials, and then you can refer to the site whenever you need to. You can also follow other developers in social networks and flesh out your social media profiles with your brand standards.
"You can share your daily learning Via tweet or LinkedIn post , Which can include the topics you learned , or projects which you build. This is the best way to collaborate with people who are following the same path."
2. Join A Developer Community
Expand your connections by joining a local co-working network. You can also participate in online communities like Stack Overflow and GitHub (Open Source Communities) to meet developers globally.
These online communities are perfect hubs for sharing your knowledge, demonstrating your expertise and connecting with other like-minded people. And collaborating with them to host a workshop or build a project, or contribute for initiatives.
3. Build An Authority By Blogging
Blogging on a regular basis is yet another strategy to build an authority in your niche circles. Blogging exposes you to others who care about the same issues you do.
For example, by sharing your expertise through blogging, you can inspire other developers and have a two-way conversation with them. To get on other developers’ radars, you might also start reading their blogs, adding relevant comments and sharing their posts to your network.
4. Participate In Networking Events
Participating in Community or Hackathon's events is probably the easiest way to connect with peers in your industry.
When it comes to a networking event, the best things usually happen in the room. You can interact with as many people as possible, including speakers and other attendees in the hallway track. Check places like Major League Hackathon and CNCF for events.
5. Set Goals For Your Networking Event
Before you walk into any networking events, you need to define your goals clearly. Make sure to be specific when setting a goal and ensure they are achievable. For instance, when you attend a social event, you can set a goal to make at least five valuable connections. Be an active person to communicate via chat or speaking / asking questions in the event to catch the eyes of attendees.
6. Develop An Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch is the best way to make a connection and a strong impression on someone. In order to make your elevator pitch impressive, you’ll need to ensure that it is thoughtful and engaging and that it describes you and how you stand out as a developer.
Write down the things that you want people to know about you and summarize them in a way that makes your audience interested in having a conversation.
7. Follow Up
Following up with the people you met at a conference is vital to building a connection and strengthening your bond. When you follow up, you’re showing that you care about your relationship with them.
You may create a list of people you talked with. Follow up with them by sending an email after the event. You’d be surprised how few people follow up after an event, so doing so enables you to build a lasting relationship.
8. Be A Speaker
The best way to make the most out of a networking event, whether it is a conference or Coding Workshop, is to become a speaker. Being a speaker at a networking event lets you establish yourself as an authority in your industry and ultimately creates opportunities to network with other like-minded people.
It also help's you to enhance your communication skills and get you the confidence you need to make yourself standout.
9. Volunteer
If speaking isn’t for you, you can be a volunteer at an event.
Just let the organizers know that you’re interested in volunteering. This opens the door to meeting some of the most prestigious people at the event, including the organizers and speakers. You can still have the chance to create an impact as a volunteer and network with the people.
10. Hustle
Networking requires hard work.
You can’t sit back at an event and expect to build connections out of the blue. In order to build connections, you need to get out of your shell and strike up conversations with as many people as possible. Though this is easier said than done, remember that networking is all about hustling and the hardest things in life are the most rewarding.
Conclusion
This were my personal tips, which has helped to me to build connections with Founders, Tech Enthusiast's ,Developers. By using the above tactics, you can build a connection with other developers for better opportunities and professional growth.
Good Luck! Keep Growing!