In recent years, expanding social networks at the workplace has become increasingly common. Some people argue that a job is not just a source of income but also an opportunity to develop a social life, while others believe that it is advisable to network outside of the workplace. Although professional networking could lose professionalism, I firmly believe that it leads to an impactful benefit, which is career advancement.
Cultivating professional relationships lead to career advancement. This is because networking with colleagues overtime helps you gain mentors and valuable experience. For example, working with your coworkers through projects or ___ can foster new skills such as teamwork and ___, coworkers can also provide valuable career advice to help you improve. At the same time, networking with colleagues are beneficials for your career advancement because it provides a wider range of job opportunities as it grants access to unadvertised positions. This is because trusted friends could recommend you to a better job. Overall, networking with your colleagues benefits you in many ways including to foster new skills and career opportunities, which is beneficial for your career and helps you advance, which is good for the long run.
However, it is understandable to not befriend your colleagues as it could risk lack of professionalism. Excessive socializing can distract you from daily responsibilities, which can affect your work efficiency and make you deemed as highly unprofessional in corporate environments. Furthermore, Excessive socializing can blur boundaries through oversharing private matters or too intimate interaction, not only does this violate traditional boundaries but also lacks professionalism. With the lack of professionalism, coworkers may make a bad impression on employers, which affects job security.