Kim, a Counsellor in Wrexham, talks about why networking helps your job and how to do it.

Job insecurity is widely known and with rumours of the UK entering a third recession; networking, whether you are self-employed or in a company, may be a way to build your profile, seek new opportunities and perhaps even grow your business or service. Generally speaking there are three types of people at work: the takers (dog eat dog perspective); the matchers (you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours); and the givers (by helping others you naturally draw attention to your accomplishments and skills without needing to brag). Being helpful isn’t always about doing favours, as showing an interest in someones work is also a gift. But, for all those givers out there, don’t allow yourself to be taken advantage of and if you don’t see any reward coming back your way just step back and move on. To try this out choose someone in your network and once a week do them a favour without making a big deal of it (recommending a book or website, introduction to a useful contact, praise their work). When someone helps you acknowledge it as this will make future favours (coming your way) more likely.