I hate stating the obvious, but here we go. You know it’s important to network. You know, contrary to popular advertising campaigns, no one was ever hired through Monster or CareerBuilder for a dream job. You know the only way to get a good job is to ask for it.
You know this, but I still receive email messages on a weekly basis that go like this…
Laurie, I hate my job. I want to quit but the economy sucks. What should I do?
I say you don’t hate your job enough, obviously, because you are sending me email messages instead of pounding the pavement and meeting people in your industry who can make hiring decisions.
Get off Twitter, get off Facebook, and stop reading HR blogs (uhm, except mine). Start talking to people — using words, not 140-character messages — about your awesome skills and abilities. It’s fine to connect with a colleague or acquaintance on LinkedIn, but you won’t get hired unless you make a case for yourself in the real world.
I know networking is tough. Even an extrovert like me gets nervous. I am not very graceful when it comes to working a room, but I drove myself into Durham — a town I don’t know very well — and met the folks at Bronto Software, this past week. They held an open house, and I attended for no other reason than to solidify the connections I’ve made through Twitter. I am glad I did it.
- I finally met Wayne Sutton,
- I connected with my e-friend DJ Waldow,
- I met the corporate recruiter at Bronto (which is a great place to work),
- and I personally introduced myself to the CEO of the company.
I didn’t do any of this because I enjoy talking about myself. In fact, I don’t. I would rather talk about Scrubby. I did it because a handshake, no matter what, always trumps a poke on Facebook.
My advice is simple, yo. You will miss out future opportunities [and life] if you wait for someone to search a database and match a job to your resume. I know you are nervous, so get a prescription for Propranolol, get a decent business casual wardrobe, and get out there and start meeting people.
[wayne sutton, dj waldow, me, and jeff cohen]
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Nice post (as always). Networking is a life long activity. Not just something you put on the to-do list every once in awhile.
Way to go, Laurie! Personal relationships trump it every time. And the only way to really make that connection is face to face. Good way to give everyone the shove they need.
Way to go, Laurie! Personal relationships trump it every time. And the only way to really make that connection is face to face. Good way to give everyone the shove they need.
Way to go, Laurie! Personal relationships trump it every time. And the only way to really make that connection is face to face. Good way to give everyone the shove they need.
Way to go, Laurie! Personal relationships trump it every time. And the only way to really make that connection is face to face. Good way to give everyone the shove they need.
Sharlyn’s right: if you wait until you need help to start networking, you’re too late. And the best way to get lots of help when you need it is to give lots of help when you don’t.
You can deride and avoid it as hypocritical schmoozing (like I used to), or you can embrace it as the cultivation of relationships (like I try to now). But you don’t cultivate something by planting a seed and walking away, then coming back only when you need to harvest: there needs to be plenty of feeding and watering (and occasional weeding and pruning) between point A and point Z.
Finally, I’ve seen you link to it elsewhere, but it bears repeating here: Jason Seiden has a great post about practical steps to take (and traps to avoid) in this job market (http://jasonseiden.com/).
Laurie, your post is pertinent, as always. Many people prefer to hide behind technology, which might be Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Facebook. Prior, it was easier to send emails than pick up the phone.
I’m glad you shared your own reticence to put yourself “out there” in person. Like you, I have to push myself to get out of my own comfort zone. In fact, I think many people that appear gregarious, actually have to work at being a people person. I don’t know how many times that I thought I’d forgo an after-hours business event, or “working a room” as you mention, only to push myself and afterward, was glad I had, because I had made a key contact.
The difference between being a “people person,” and a wall-flower, is pushing yourself beyond what’s comfortable.
Keep on doing what you do!
I’d like to speak to what bizdirector said in the previous comment:
The difference between being a
@Sharlyn If you start to see day-to-day encounters as potential networking opportunities, doing the ‘real’ networking gets easier. I take my chattiness and ’schpiel’ on a test run at the salon, and it works.
@Denise I need the shove myself!
@Kentropic WE LOVE JASON SEIDEN AROUND HERE!!
@BizDirector Totally well said. We all need a push, sometimes. None of this comes naturally, does it?
@SM My whole life is fake-it-till-you-make-it. So far, so good.
How’s about networking because people are interesting and that huge opportunity might exist in the white space to be discovered? How’s about networking because you might change someone’s life for the better? Sometimes, it’s not all take.
Just saying,
BC
@BC Awesome. This is why BC
It was great to meet you for the first time in person at the Bronto open house. Glad you forced yourself to join us. Thanks for the photo caption link, even though I did not get a shout out like Wayne and DJ. I can only attribute it to the fact that I have tweeted more with Mr. Scrubby than with you.
This is a great post. I tell people all the time that they need to focus on building a network of contacts at all times. This will let you grow it organically, without the pressure of unemployment or other drastic events.
If you are uncomfortable working a room, find a couple people with similar interests and get together for a drink or coffee. Start small and get to know a few people well. Using online tools like twitter and facebook will let you connect to these people and their networks. Leverage your good connections to grow your network and meet their connections. This lets you attend larger events with some comfort if some of your connections are there.
The next step is to start speaking at some of these events and people will want to meet you.
The joining of online communities with offline meetings has made networking easier, because you know who you can expect to meet at an event.
@Laurie
I like networking like Ross Perot ran his presidential campaign.
I show up with a bunch of Powerpoint slides and show ‘em to people.
That way they tend to leave me alone, and I don’t have to carry all those business cards around in my pockets!
Hi Laurie,
I call networking “relationship building” for those people who think networking sucks.
Have a great day!
Mark Parbus
http://www.babyboomerjourney.com
@Jeff I think you are right — getting out and doing it makes the next time easier.
@Michael The new business card is no business card. I keep hearing that. I’m not sure it’s true.
@Mark Life is both networking and relationship building. You are so right.
Fo. Reals. Last five jobs found through:
A) Grad school friend
B) Another grad school friend
C) Friend in my hometown
D) Talking smack and crashing parties at a national SHRM conference
E) Striking up a conversation at a public park
I have NEVER ONCE gotten a job or even gotten many call backs from resumes. But get me with some real live people and I will definitely make the connection.
You know, networking doesn’t have to be painful or hard…when you know how to do it! Contacts Count helps individuals & organizations develop professional competency in networking skills & strategies. You CAN learn how to enter a room of unknowns and figure out what to do and say! None of us hopped on a bicycle and took off – we wobbled, we fell over, we figured out the balance thing. Once you learn, it’s easy and not so sucky!
@Franny Your next job? Taking over the world through the internet.
@Contacts
Plz don’t make me. I like my hidey hole.
@Jenn Networking = cool free stuff. I got that awesome Bronto mug. Worth the effort, yo.
Another tactic – find a networking mentor. One easy way, step by step: 1)Find a Chamber of Commerce event that suits your schedule. Guests are always welcome. 2)Call a Chamber staffer(it’s their job to be friendly!), tell them you’re a bit ‘networking challenged’, and ask them for the e-mail of someone they know who regularly attends that particular event and has that Networking Thing down. Any Chamber staffer worth their salt will cough up at least one contact. 3)E-mail the Mentor Prospect and ask if they’ll introduce you around at the event. Include a link to your LinkedIn profile so they can see you’re not a wackjob(your profile’s up to date and has a pic, right?) 3)Practice talking to people in a really loud room, like your local watering hole during happy hour
4)Show up, smile a bunch and meet new people!
Yep – it does suck. And not just for getting the job…
It also must continue once you’ve landed the job – in our new knowledge economy it’s my belief that networking will be the skill that will lead to getting the information you’ll need to succeed.
With the popularity of social network analysis, corporate social networking initiatives and learning communities sprouting up all over, networking is a skill that’ll be around awhile. I wrote a tad about it here: http://orbitalrpm.com/2008/networked-learning-training-for-the-rest-of-us/
Great blog BTW – the HR industry needs a fresh perspective and it looks like they’re getting it.
@Laurie – I am embarrassed that it took me this long to comment on your blog. It was great to finally meet you in person. I’d like to echo what Mark Parbus said above about relationships.
I prefer to use the phrase “relationship building” instead of “networking.” To me, networking sounds cold, impersonal, and a bit forced. Maybe even one-way. Relationship building on the other hand is about give and take. Talk and listen.
Minor point, but important distinction IMHO. By the way…this concept was reinforced in some of my twitter conversations with the famous Amber Naslund (aka @AmberCadabra http://twitter.com/AmberCadabra). Super cool, super smart woman.
Peace out.
dj
@djwaldow