8 tips to build, maintain, and leverage your professional relationships

When given the chance to meet new people, make sure you do it. As you never know when somebody might prove useful, why not being sociable and trying to broaden as much as possible your circle?

When trying to broaden your social network, say yes to meeting new people. One acquaintance will always lead to another, fact that could only have a positive effect on your professional life.

When trying to get a better or a different job, relying on the so-called 'weak ties'- that is to say, acquaintances and the like, might prove extremely useful. While your strong connections tend to place you in only one field of activity, the weak ones are more objective and could provide you with new possibilities.

When needed, reconnection with persons you have lost contact for a while, might prove quite the best solution to broaden your network. Therefore, there is no need for you to fear a 'No', as it might as well turn out to be a big 'Yes', leading to successfully strengthened ties.

When introducing yourself to a new person, especially when you do this virtually, make sure to state who you are and what the nature of the connection is.

Whenever you want to introduce a person to another, inform both of your idea. Moreover, you might want to also make sure that both parties are interested and agree on the meeting.

Building professional relationships requires respecting a set of basic rules, in order to make the best of your connections. Among these, connecting with people from all the fields of activity and checking regularly your network, so as to make sure that your current connections match your desired career path evolution, are two sure ways to keep up the good work when dealing with professional networking.

Networking means more than just building up your own connections, it also involves connecting others. As it is more of a life skill than a professional one, it will lead to more efficient results when used in a generous and respectful way.