What’s the Key to Networking in a Small City?

Use this to your advantage!

The size of the city you live in actually should not matter. As the old saying goes and as Malcolm Gladwell references in his book David and Goliath – it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond then a small fish in a big one!

The key to standing out and networking in a small-town environment is to display leadership and initiative. Go out and get involved in your community with the rotary club or take part in local charity events … think about volunteering or maybe joining a hobby group.

Do you have expertise in a certain area? If not, then think about acquiring skills that others will seek out; a good way to build your network is to have specific knowledge that people need, and they will come to you, instead of the other way around (this especially works if you consider yourself an introvert).

Think about starting your own networking group! I actually talk about this in my article How to Start a Networking Group That Gets Results, where I even offer a free downloadable step-by-step guide that will help you do this successfully.

When travelling to other cities give people a heads up that you’ll be there and try to set up a time to meet. You should constantly look to build your network no matter where you are!

Remember to be strategic and allocate your time well.

This post originally appeared on Quora