11 networking rules nobody tells you when you're starting out

The power of networking is one of the most common pieces of creative career advice you'll hear, but when we speak to creatives about how they landed jobs, networking rarely looks the way you'd expect. Here are 11 networking rules that don't get talked about nearly enough.

If networking events make you want to hide in the toilets, plenty of creatives feel the same way. When we spoke to PLACE founder Hannah Makonnen, she suggested that traditional networking often falls flat because people arrive focused on what they can gain from the interaction. “Traditional networking doesn't always work because you enter with a goal: to take rather than to give,” she says.

It's one reason why more creatives are finding community through book clubs, workshops, running groups and creative meet-ups instead. The conversation comes first – the opportunity comes later.

2. Go where the same people show up every month

Networking isn't really about meeting hundreds of people. Talking about Manchester's creative scene, designer Jessica Mosoph pointed out that “creative circles aren't as closed as they appear – recurring faces get remembered.”

Find a few spaces you genuinely enjoy and keep coming back. Familiarity often goes further than a memorable first impression.

3. Talk to your peers, not just the people hiring

It's easy to spend all your energy trying to get in front of creative directors, founders and recruiters. But some of the most valuable people in your network are likely to be at a similar stage to you. The classmates, interns, workshop attendees and junior creatives you meet now will go on to become freelancers, collaborators, commissioners and hiring managers. Lots of creative careers are built alongside other people, not beneath them.

4. Tell people when you like their work

If it feels too daunting, networking doesn't always have to start with asking for advice or requesting a coffee. For multidisciplinary creative Clara Zo'o, a simple habit has led to jobs, collaborations and mentorship opportunities. “99% of my opportunities have come through reaching out,” she says. “If I like someone's work, I'll tell them.”

A thoughtful message about a project, article or campaign can be enough to start a conversation. It also tends to feel a lot less intimidating than introducing yourself out of the blue.

5. Don't wait until you need something to reach out

The strongest professional relationships are rarely built when somebody needs a favour; they're built through small interactions over time. Try congratulating someone on a new role, sharing an article they might find useful or sending a message after a talk or event. It’s about keeping in touch when there isn't an obvious reason to.

When opportunities do eventually come up, it means you’re continuing an existing relationship rather than trying to create one from scratch.

6. Focus on building a community, not an audience

Feeling pressure to build your ‘personal brand’ is common when starting out - but followers aren't necessarily the same thing as genuine connections. As Hannah Makonnen puts it: “You don't own your community on Instagram or TikTok. The only thing you have is real people and real connections that you're making.”

The creatives who seem most supported aren't always the ones with the largest audiences. More often, they're the ones who have invested time in building genuine relationships with other people.

7. Use your passion projects to start conversations

Many creatives become known for the work they make when nobody is asking them to. Graphic designer Freddy Mills' paper-cut typography started with a birthday card for his sister. Clara Zo'o's online magazine Sal:mender grew from her interest in memory, culture and diaspora stories. Projects like these give people a clearer sense of what what you care about and the kind of work you want to make more of.

They're often the things people remember long after you've met. As designer Anas Houssein puts it: “Keep creating passion projects, they'll open the next door before you even knock.”

8. Introduce yourself as the creative you want to become

Many emerging creatives wait until they feel experienced enough before calling themselves a designer, photographer, illustrator or writer.

At our last What is self-promotion? event with Affinity, photographer Latoya Fits Okuneye encouraged creatives to own their titles earlier. “Literally introducing yourself with what you do, it sounds so basic, but it really opens doors,” she said.

Hayley Wall, Latoya Fits Okuneye, Zoë Thompson and James Martin speak on the Affinity event panel

9. Stay visible between opportunities

Networking is often treated as something you do when you're looking for a job, a freelance project or your next opportunity. The creatives we've spoken to tend to approach it differently. Anas Houssein, who credits networking and self-promotion with helping him build his career, puts it simply: “Stay visible, you never know who's watching.”

That doesn't mean posting constantly or turning every interaction into self-promotion, it means sharing work occasionally and maintaining connections even when you don't immediately need anything.

10. Master the boring stuff

Creative careers love a breakthrough story: the viral post, the dream commission, the big job offer. What gets talked about less is everything that happens in between. Following up after an event, staying in touch, remembering names and doing what you said you'd do might not make for an exciting LinkedIn post, but it's often where trust is built.

At our Affinity event, designer and author James Martin described it as learning to “master the mundane”. “It's not through those random viral moments,” he said. “It's through the continuous boredom.”

11. Focus on finding your people, not collecting contacts

The creatives we've interviewed who seem most connected and resilient rarely talk about networking as a strategy. Instead, they talk about communities, collaborators, mentors and friends. They talk about people who supported them when opportunities were scarce, recommended them for projects or simply made the industry feel a little less daunting.

As growth and new business director Laura Carrick puts it: “Build your network and your community early. If you show up with intention and generosity, those relationships will be the ones that carry you when you need them most.”