Whether you love networking or hate the idea of it, there’s no getting away from the fact that it can hugely influence your career success.This is the first in a series of episodes about networking for the HR Coffee Time podcast. In it, host Fay Wallis talks through the three most important networks for your career; explaining what they are, how to assess the strength of your relationships with them and how to create a plan to improve them. Key Points From This Episode[01:32] Networking will be covered over a series of episodes because it is such a large topic[02:04] Networking makes some people feel uncomfortable. Research by Francesca Gino, Maryam Kouchaki & Tiziana Casciaro revealed it makes some people feel physically dirty[02:34] Fay wants to convince you that networking is something to be embraced & enjoyed[03:24] Networking is about building relationships[03:45] The first of the three most important networks for your career is your personal network[04:52] Your friends and family will probably have helped you with your career at some point[06:30] Thinking about why networking is useful and what else ‘networking’ means[07:22] Networking is a way of helping and supporting each other[07:55] Career karma – what goes around comes around[09:14] Adam Grant’s research into givers, takers and matchers[13:16] Approaching networking with a giver’s mindset[14:25] The second important network for your career – your external professional network[16:01] Building your external professional network by going to events, joining memberships and groups[21:00] Networking on LinkedIn will be covered in a future episode[25:00] The second important network for your career – your internal network[28:40] A DiSC team building workshop is one way Fay can help your team to build relationships and work effectively together[29:48] A simple exercise to help you get started with assessing and building your three networksUseful Links From This EpisodeReview the HR Coffee Time podcast on Apple PodcastsConnect with Fay on LinkedInThe Bright Sky Career Coaching website“Learn to love networking” by Francesca Gino, Maryam Kouchaki and Tiziana CasciaroAdam Grant’s TED talk about givers, takers and matchersThe CIPD’s local branch finder (to find out about local events)Disruptive HR ClubThe HR IndependentsDaniel Barnett’s HR Inner CircleThe HR Ninjas Facebook groupThe Chartered Management Institute