If you cringe at the thought of networking, as many introverts do, consider the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, whose name appears on most lists of famous introverts and who is described by biographers as shy.

As a job seeker, you are called upon to engage in many activities that are outside your comfort zone (such as networking), and the natural tendency is to pull back from things that make us uncomfortable. If, instead, you push through the fear, you’ll find the activities become easier and both your confidence and your success will grow.

Here are five low-effort, low-energy networking activities to get you started, Note that each suggestion starts with “one” just to make the list less daunting – as soon as you’re comfortable, increase that number and continue to accelerate the process.

Remember that networking is about building relationships, and relationships take nurturing.

Stay in touch with your circle of contacts, with responses to their news and with news of your own, and concentrate on how you can be a resource for others. Reach out to establish relationships with new people.

Bottom line

Even an activity like networking, which is daunting to so many job seekers, can become less overwhelming with practice and repetition – and facing the fear makes us stronger.