Networking is the single most effective way to advance your career. Many people however find it difficult to expand their network. Here are a few tips to help you during your process:

Start small by strengthening your existing connections.

Get in touch with old friends, distant relatives and people you went to school with. Since they are not complete strangers, building a rapport with them should be easy.

Stay in touch with people you genuinely like.

When building relationships with people, avoid judging other based on images and titles. Coming across as pretentious and insincere is a sure way not to expand your circle. Just because someone may not be able to help you right away, does not mean you should not keep in touch. Remember, people do business with those they like.

Ask questions and be a good listener.

Ask questions and listen intentively to potential contacts. When you act interested in what others are doing, it is normally reciprocated. You can make more contacts in two hours by showing interest in people then you will in two years trying to get them interested in you.

Be generous.

Doing a favor for someone is the fastest way to make them want to help you in return.

Have a 30 second pitch.

Create a quick overview of your skills in 30 seconds or less. Discuss who you are, what you do, what you can offer, why you should be hired and how you can be contacted. Remember, you want to entice the listener, so keep it short enough so that they ask for more.

Always have business cards.

The most important information to have when marketing yourself is your contact information. You should always have a stack of business cards on hand to distribute to potential key contacts. You never know when opportunities could arise, it is always good to be prepared.