For many networkers lunch is probably their most productive time of the day. While everyone else is taking a break to eat they’re going to work. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.

 

Many entrepreneurs, business owners and sales professionals know this and take full advantage of their lunch. Lunch may provide an even greater opportunity for someone looking to advance their career, or trying to find their next job opportunity. Sadly most people will have lunch with the same people, day after day after day. This is truly a missed opportunity.

 

If you’re looking to advance your career have lunch with people in other areas of your organization. Get together with folks in other departments and learn about what’s happening in other facets of your company. Go to lunch with your superiors and learn to see the enterprise from their perspective. Learn more about those who report to you, or others in the organization and see if there’s a way that you can help them advance their career. You’ll quickly become a more valuable employee with a better understanding of the bigger picture. This will improve your chances of advancement, or at the very least insulate you from the next downsizing event.

 

Next look outside your organization. Ask your counterpart at a competitor to lunch. Learn about their successes and challenges. See if you can’t build a relationship where you can help each other out. These can be invaluable should you ever find yourself without a job or if a better opportunity presents itself within your industry you’ll be one of the first to know.

 

This certainly isn’t rocket science, it’s just lunch. Don’t be afraid to ask ANYONE to join you for lunch. You’ll find that you’ll rarely if ever be turned down.

 

Who are you going to ask to lunch today?

 

Happy networking!

 

Scott Ingram