Your first major challenge to effective networking is to understand that networking is not inherently sleazy.

I know both men and women who have this particular opinion. When you’ve been raised in a way that encourages modesty and humility – you may feel particularly averse to networking because it is sometimes thought of as a combination of bragging about yourself and using people.

Some people that I’ve spoken to actually feel dirty after engaging in ‘instrumental networking’ (i.e., networking with the goal of advancement).