Judith Perle shares her two top tips for effective networking.
I spend much of my time training people to network more effectively, so I think I'm pretty much of an expert on the subject.
My two top tips would be:
a) be interested in other people;
b) try not to think about what they can do for you, rather than what you can do for them.
That way, you start to build relationships rather than trying to use people for your own ends!
