Michael Page Logo

Main menu

  • Home
  • Jobs+

    Browse for Jobs

    • Browse for Jobs
    • Accounting & Finance
    • Banking & Financial Services
    • Consultancy, Strategy & Change
    • Customer Service
    • Digital
    • Engineering & Manufacturing
    • Healthcare
    • Human Resources
    • Legal
    • Life Sciences
    • Marketing
    • Office Support
    • Procurement & Supply Chain
    • Property
    • Retail
    • Sales
    • Technology
    • Executive Search
    • Temp & Contracting

    Search for jobs

    Searching for a job?

    • Searching for a job?
    • Job search
    • Submit your CV
    • Career advice
    • Contracting
    • 2020 Salary Guide
    • Job Applicant Confidence Index
    • Japan's most sought after benefits
    • What makes a good corporate culture?
    • Salary Comparison Tool - Are you getting paid enough?
  • Advice+

    Career Advice

    • Career Advice
    • Career progression
    • Changing jobs
    • Interviewing
    • Productivity and performance
    • Resume and cover letter
    • Salary and negotiation
    • Work-life balance

    Management advice

    • Management advice
    • Engagement and retention
    • Hiring
    • Leadership
    • Staff development
    • Market insights
    • 2020 Salary Guide
    • Hiring in Fintech

    ABC's of Technology

    • https://www.michaelpage.co.jp/en
    • Download Humans of AI report
    • Download Humans of Blockchain report

    Most Popular Articles

    • Most Popular Articles
    • Tips for Recruiting in Japan
    • Fintech in Japan: 2020 and Beyond
    • 7 killer questions to ask in a job interview
    • 5 tips to help you identify your next career opportunity
    • Common interview questions
    • What does a recruitment consultant do
  • Recruiting+

    Looking to hire?

    • Recruitment services
    • Recruitment services
    • Contracting Services
    • Submit Job Spec
    • Management Advice
    • 2020 Salary Guide
    • Job Applicant Confidence Index
    • Benefits that attract the best talent
    • What makes a good corporate culture?
    • Hiring in Fintech
    • Job Advertising: ReachTalent
    • Remote hiring

    Page Project Outsourcing

    • Page Project Outsourcing
    • About Page Project Outsourcing
    • Our approach
    • Our team of experts
    • Our testimonials

    Recruitment expertise

    • Recruitment expertise
    • Accounting & Finance
    • Banking & Financial Services
    • Consultancy, Strategy & Change
    • Engineering & Manufacturing
    • Healthcare
    • Human Resources
    • Legal
    • Life Sciences
    • Marketing
    • Office Support
    • Procurement & Supply Chain
    • Property
    • Retail
    • Sales
    • Technology
    • Executive Search
    • Temp & Contracting
    • Request a callback
  • Contracting+

    Contracting

    • Contracting
    • Contractors
    • Employers
  • About+

    About us

    • https://www.michaelpage.co.jp/en
    • Who we are
    • What we do
    • Work for us
    • Media Releases
    • PageGroup
    • Page Executive
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
  • Join PageGroup+

    Join PageGroup

    • About PageGroup
    • About PageGroup
    • Why choose us?
    • Your role here
    • Use your skills
    • FAQs
    • Apply now
  • Contact+

    Contact

    • https://www.michaelpage.co.jp/en
    • Find our offices
    • Looking to hire?
    • Submit your CV
    • Feedback

Language

  • 日本語
Sign In
Saved jobs (0)

Language

  • 日本語
Saved jobs (0)
Sign In
ログインまたは登録
Search for a job

You are here

Home>Advice>Career Advice>Career progression>How social activities can be networking opportunities

How social activities can be networking opportunities

by Michael Page
-
03/05/2017
How social activities can be networking opportunities

For many professionals, sitting at a desk is the vast majority of the day is just a fact of life. When not at our desks, we’re between meetings, commuting and running day-to-day errands, meaning being ‘time poor’ is the normal state of affairs – and finding time for social activities and exercise can be difficult.

However, exercise and social events can double up as career development time as well, so it’s important to make time for them in your daily life. Despite the rapid increase of social networking for business, face-to-face contact is still vital for professionals. It creates strong and long-lasting relationships far more than online connections do.

RELATED: 5 ways networking get improve your career

Better than formal networking events – which, as one-off occasions can be stiff and awkward – combining a hobby you might already enjoy (running, for example) with something that helps your career is a great way to get yourself pursuing an interest outside of work and make new connections.

Here are four reasons why social group activities can help with networking:

Informal settings create a better foundation for relationships

A social interest group provides an opportunity to build trust and get to know people in an environment where there is no pressure or agenda. This informality allows professionals to interact as equals, outside the hierarchies of professional environments, which will lead to more authentic relationships.

Joining a running club, for example, is a great way to keep fit and gives you plenty of opportunities to chat with a whole variety of people.

Share and receive advice

One of the best ways to network is to offer advice on an informal basis. See networking as a way to give, rather than as a way to get ahead. That said, asking for advice is also a time-honoured way to network, as many people are happy to help, especially someone they know socially. So pick someone’s brain at a book club, knitting group or dodgeball game, and you never know where it might lead.

Get to know a new industry

Joining a group that’s formed around an interest rather than a profession means that you’ll be exposed to a wider variety of people than you otherwise would have. This creates an opportunity to find out about someone else’s career and industry, and allows organic connections to be formed.

Hear about job openings

Personal referrals are a major way that people find new jobs – many of which will never hit the jobs listings. By being connected to a wide variety of professionals, you can find out about who’s hiring, when, and why. You can even sound out people and pitch your skills, even if their company isn’t specifically hiring at that point. Keeping an ear to the ground in your pottery class, on the tennis court or in the football change rooms could prove an invaluable asset to your career.

Looking for a new job? Contact a Michael Page specialist today.

Summary: 

Hobbies can be a great way to expand your professional network. Joining an interest or exercise group can:

· Allow you to build solid foundations away from formal professional situations

· Learn about other people’s jobs and industries and give and receive advice

Find out about job openings before they reach the point of being advertised

Previous article
How to become indispensable at work
How to become indispensable at work
by Michael Page
Read article
Next article
 Why are ‘soft skills’ so important in engineering and manufacturing?
Why are ‘soft skills’ so important in engineering and manufacturing?
by Michael Page
Read article

Simplify your job search by downloading our App

 

App Storeからダウンロード Google Playで手に入れよう

Join over 50,000 readers!

Get a free weekly update via email here and help kick start your career.

Sign up to receive job alerts

We will let you know when any new !keyword jobs are available. | We will let you know when any new !keyword jobs in !location are available.

Topics

  • Career Advice
  • Management Advice
  • Market Insights

Tags

Networking

Popular Articles

Most Popular Articles

  • Most Popular Articles
  • Tips for Recruiting in Japan
  • Fintech in Japan: 2020 and Beyond
  • 7 killer questions to ask in a job interview
  • 5 tips to help you identify your next career opportunity
  • Common interview questions
  • What does a recruitment consultant do

Advertise Your Role With Us

Advertise Your Role With ReachTalent

Michael Page Logo
  • Read our BlogRead our Blog
  • Follow us on FacebookFollow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on InstagramFollow us on Instagram
  • Follow us on LinkedInFollow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on TwitterFollow us on Twitter
  • Watch us on YouTubeWatch us on YouTube

Navigation

  • Change country/region
  • Email disclaimer
  • Investor site
  • PageGroup corporate site
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookie policy
  • Site map
  • Site terms

Accreditations

ISO27001 Accreditation

Our Expertise

  • Accounting, Audit & Advisory, Tax and Treasury
  • Banking & Financial Services
  • Consultancy, Strategy and Change
  • Customer Service
  • Digital
  • Engineering & Manufacturing
  • Executive Search
  • Healthcare
  • Human Resources
  • IT
  • Legal
  • Life Sciences
  • Marketing
  • Procurement & Supply Chain
  • Property
  • Retail
  • Sales
  • Secretarial

Apps

Download from the App Store

 

Download from Google Play

 

Employer Centre

  • Feedback
  • Looking to hire?
  • Submit your CV
  • Tokyo office

© Michael Page International (Japan) K.K. Corporation Number 0104-01-043253 Registered Office 6F Hulic Kamiyacho Building 4-3-13 Toranomon, Minato-ku Tokyo 105-0001