Networking is a critical part of managing your career and like everything else related to your career, it must be done intentionally and strategically. Oftentimes we don’t consider networking until we need a new job and it is easy to appear desperate at that point. By building up your network before you actually need it, you are creating a safety net for yourself, minimizing the chances of needing to aggressively hit the job boards, and improving the odds of new opportunities actually finding you.