Professional networking is a fantastic way to build your career, but the past few years, more than a few of us have gotten out of practice mingling at social events. As more networking groups in Knoxville, TN are returning to in-person events, we have a few tips for you to get back out there and make some new connections!

Boost Your Confidence! 

Young professionals build their career through networking for a multitude of reasons. Maybe you’ve just moved to Knoxville and you’re looking for a way to build relationships and make new friends! Maybe you’ve been in town for a while, and you’re looking to grow your career. 

Whatever your reason, putting yourself out there can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re trying to connect with new people. But building relationships and finding new career opportunities is worth taking a chance!

When you’re preparing to attend your first networking event, choose an outfit that makes you feel confident in yourself. Take a look in the mirror, put a smile on your face, and get ready to find new opportunities and build connections!

Build Relationships with Intentionality

You may feel overwhelmed the first time you step into a venue for a networking event, especially if you don’t know anyone! But approaching new people doesn’t have to be intimidating. There are a couple of things to keep in mind in order to be intentional while you’re meeting new people:

• Practice active listening when you’re talking to someone new. Don’t make the conversation about you, and listen carefully to what the person is saying. Prove you listened by asking them questions about what they’re telling you!

• Smile while you’re meeting new people! Networking doesn’t have to be stiff and boring. In fact, most events by Young Professionals of Knoxville (YPK) happen at fun, local businesses in our community, including Downtown Knoxville!

Ask Questions

We’ve already touched on this a little bit, but asking questions is a great method in making new connections. Here are some simple questions you can ask to engage in conversation at one of our networking events:

• What do you do for work?

• Have you been in Knoxville long?

• What brought you to Knoxville?

• How long have you been involved in YPK?

• What college did you go to?

These and similar questions will often lead to full conversations where you have the opportunity to truly get to know fellow young professionals in your networking group and in Knoxville as a whole! 

Professional relationships can open up opportunities quickly, but they can also lead to even bigger opportunities down the road. You never know where the friends you make now will be in 5, 10, or even 15 years. Building relationships now can be mutually beneficial in the future.

Invest In Your Own Professional Development

Young Professionals of Knoxville hosts professional development events throughout the year that help you build your skills to grow your career. Not only that, but building relationships with your professional peers can even help you develop skills like interviewing for a job and learning about new opportunities!

On February 23, 2022, we’re hosting a Resume Workshop where you can learn tangible skills when building your resume. You may not be looking for a new job right now, but having an updated resume is always a good idea!

Get Involved By Joining a Committee

Joining a local professional networking group is a lot more than just attending events. To truly get the most out of your membership in YPK, you should look into ways to get involved. We care about investing in our members and giving them opportunities to connect, develop, and serve. After all, we’re the future leaders of our community!

We have a number of committees for our members to consider:

• Community Outreach: This committee plans service and philanthropic projects, along with brainstorming ways to partner with other events. They also aim to educate members on the benefits of giving back to the community.

• Membership: This committee plans the three General Membership Meetings (GMMs), two YPK 101 events, and the annual YPK Impact Awards, from the awards nominations to the ceremony.  They also assist with registration and check-in for many of YPK’s larger events, including the Summer Soiree and Impact Awards. The committee meets monthly throughout the year.

• Marketing: This committee works to keep the Knoxville community updated on the latest YPK events, membership perks, member features, and insights into all things local through e-newsletters, social media, and ypknox.com.  Opportunities for committee members include all aspects of copywriting, design, and digital marketing.  The marketing committee’s current diversity and inclusion initiative is updating YPK’s branding and website to comply with ADA visual standards.

• Social: The Social Committee meets quarterly to brainstorm ideas for the locations of our upcoming happy hours and networking events. Overall, we plan fun venues and strive to engage members in networking.

• Professional Development: This committee seeks to empower our members to develop the skills, connections and confidence to become leaders in their respective organizations and the Knoxville community. We strive to create exclusive events with exciting speakers and opportunities to sharpen leadership skills.

• Recruitment: This committee helps current and new members get the most out of YPK by expanding the number of young professionals and curating a diversified group of professional levels, industries, and backgrounds.

Our committees are designed for any member who wants to get more involved. You don’t have to join the committee that’s related to your career field! You can join whichever committee sounds most interesting to you. All you have to do to learn more about joining is attending the next committee meeting.

Young Professionals of Knoxville is a membership-driven, non-profit organization with a mission to inspire Knoxville’s young professionals to connect, develop and serve to build leaders and improve our community. For more information about our objectives and mission, visit our website! If you’re not a member of YPK and would like to learn more about becoming a member, discover our member benefits and fill out our application online.