12 Networking Tips for Shy and Anti-Social IT Pros
If you're a naturally introverted person, getting close and sharing with people can feel unnatural and difficult, but it's not impossible. The first thing you have to realize is that you are not alone. Many of your peers, celebrities, dignitaries and people from all walks of life are introverts and yet they manage to overcome it, and so can you.
Even if you're inherently shy, you still need to network if you want to advance in your IT career. Why? Check out these stats from different publications regarding networking's role in today's career paths:
The Wall Street Journal reports that 94 percent of successful job hunters claimed that networking had made all the difference for them. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that 63.4 percent of all workers use informal job finding methods. Only 4-10 percent of the people who apply to jobs online are successful in obtaining employment. (Richard Bolles, What Color is Your Parachute)
