Episode 70: Building Your Professional Network Part 2: Career Sponsors [REBROADCAST]

Episode 70: Building Your Professional Network Part 2: Career Sponsors [REBROADCAST]

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While I'm on maternity leave I'm rebroadcasting some of my favorite episodes of Beyond the Business Suit. In this episode we’re covering part 2 in a series about building your professional network. In our last episode we discussed how to build mentor relationships. In this episode we’ll be discussing how to position yourself well to attract career sponsors.

Before we jump in, I wanted to share what a sponsor is in case you are not familiar with the term. A sponsor is someone who is a champion or advocate for you and who is has the power to directly influence your career advancement. Though many people think a sponsor is always someone within your organization, that is not always the case. A sponsor may be someone with hiring power to bring you into another organization. A sponsor may also be someone who has decision-making power and budget oversight to give you business if you’re a business owner. Whereas a mentor is someone who can give you advice and counsel on a formal or informal basis, you may or may not know a sponsor. For instance, I’ve had sponsors recommend me for promotions or job opportunities without my knowledge since often times we are not in the room when sponsors are creating opportunities for us.

So you may ask yourself, “how can I build a relationship with sponsors if I don’t know who they are?” That’s a good question to ask, and here are three things you can do to position yourself well to attract sponsors:

1. Doing great work.
2. Develop relationships with influential people.
3.  Build a strong personal brand.

Listen to the episode for all of the details related to these three tips.

Do you have any success stories with sponsors? Leave a comment below!