Why You Should Be Networking With Your Competition
When you consider the term networking, you likely think of formal events where you speak to more experienced people in your industry, or intended career path, in the hopes of gaining knowledge or connections leading to job opportunities.
You’re less likely to talk to other folks at your same level, instead, seeing them as competition. But what if you came in with a different mind-set? What if you intentionally networked with your competition? Making connections with those on your level is both socially fulfilling and the start to a mutually beneficial relationship- so why wouldn't you want to network with your competition?
Mutually Beneficial Relationships
While scrolling through LinkedIn trying to find a job, I came across a posting sparking my interest- it was an aspiring author of similar age looking for a literary agent. From her LinkedIn profile, I could see she was well travelled and we shared a love for writing. My first thought when reading her profile was “I want to be her friend,” and so, I applied for the job.
In my email to her, I spoke about my favorite books, writing styles and commented on what I liked about her vision for her stories. Very soon after sending the email she officially hired me as her literary agent/editor. Our working relationship ended up being more of an equal partnership rather than an employer-employee relationship. It was mutually beneficial. I’d edit her poems and stories and she’d tell me about writing jobs she found and would recommend me. We’ve worked at two jobs together, not including the one I applied to initially.
Think about your network- like old friends from college, high school or a current/former co-worker. Chances are you have at least a few people in your life you share professional interests with. A great way to set the tone for a collaborative relationship instead of competitive rivalry, is to network your friends into jobs you find relevant to your shared interests. By helping your competition you’re earning a lot of good will, which will hopefully come back to you when you are ready to job search!
Motivation and Inspiration To Keep Getting Better
Networking and making genuine connections with your competition provides you with the motivation and inspiration to keep getting better. Even when both of you establish and develop in your careers, at the same organization or not, you’re likely to stay in touch and hopefully be lifelong friends, leading to future opportunities down the road.
Continuing to develop same-level relationships helps encourage a healthy competition. Instead of contriving against one another, you serve as healthy competition keeping inspiring both of you to improve over time.
Outsourcing, Gaining Industry Knowledge and Learning from Diverse Perspectives
As a freelancer, I often, outsource work when I’m too busy. I feel more comfortable and confident outsourcing work to connections skilled in the same things as me because I know the work will be of high quality. Outsourcing is often last minute and stressful, but a friend is more likely to have your back and make sure the work gets done right the first time, which eases your mind as you pass things off.
Networking is also a great way to gain valuable industry knowledge. This provides you with someone to share experiences with and to learn the ins and outs of the industry beyond what you specifically do in your company. This helps open your mind to new opportunities more suitable for where you want to go in your career.
Finally, by making a connection with your competition it gives you the opportunity to learn from diverse perspectives; everyone has different life experiences you can learn from. For example, your friend may be of another race, religion, socio-economic class or sexual orientation. They may also have a different point of view or life experience they can tell you about. Even small differences can be great learning opportunities and should not be wasted!
With the internet, making new friends is easy- try connecting with folks through LinkedIn, Facebook groups or by joining a club in your community. It doesn’t matter if it's a friend you just made or one you’ve known for a longtime, by working with your peers instead of against them, it will lead to more opportunities and show you are a team player. So go ahead and try it because it’s brought so much good to my own life!
Related:
LinkedIn Networking: How To Reach Out To Recruiters and People In Your LinkedIn Groups
LinkedIn Networking: How To Reach Out To Someone You Casually Know Or Admire
Meet The Writer!
Hello my name’s Whitney! I’m a professional and creative writer ( blogging, news, screenplays, etc.). I graduated with degrees in Political Science and Global Studies. My areas of focus are non-profits and human rights, but I love to write and help people in any way possible! I encourage you to check out my writing and connect with me on LinkedIn.
