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So, last week I did a little piece on a crucial job search skill: the all important job interview. Now, you may not think that job searching skills fall into my big three reasons for blogging, but I would argue that there are few things more political and more connected to pop-culture right now than job hunting. Regardless, lots of people seemed to enjoy my post, so I thought I'd do another, this time on an sometimes over looked job searching skill: networking.
Ummm, What the Hell is Networking?
Asked no one...as most people are very familiar with the concept and the term. Or at least, they think they are. The problem is that most people who aren't in Politics or sales shudder at the thought of networking. If you type in "I Hate Networking" into Google, you get 92.1 MILLION hits. I'm not even kidding. Now, you get more if you put in "love" instead of "hate", but still, that's a lot.
When I was searching around the internet trying to figure out why so many people don't like networking, I started to get at the reason why: they're thinking about it all wrong! A good illustration of what I think the "wrong" way of looking at networking is can be found at a copywriters blog here. For this person, networking is simply going to events, talking about yourself, and failing. Yes, I would hate that too.
For me...networking is a very different animal.
So What Can I do Differently?
Well, there are some really good and inspiring thoughts out there on networking if you know where to look. One of my favourite posts of all time on the topic is from Tim Ferris. This dude can seem a bit crazy, but his advice is amazing and worth reading. But not all of you want to contact The President of the USA or the head of a major corporation. Most of you just want 5-10 people, who you can sit down with over coffee and talk to about your career path.
The first thing you have to realize about networking is that if you do it in an honest way, i.e. you're trying to forge a relationship, rather than simply using someone for a job, people respond really well. I've cold called people, or asked people I've just met out for coffee simply because "I find your background really interesting and would love to pick your brain a little". We are all human beings, and hearing that from a stranger that they think you're cool and want to provide you with a free beverage is pretty great.
Key Element #1 - Stop being afraid, most people are more than willing to chat, and if they aren't, don't worry about it and move on to others.
One of the best pieces of advice I got about networking was to have a coffee with someone you don't know very well, who is more senior than you, once a week. Now, this isn't always possible, but once a month definitely is, and you can build from there. Once you have a meeting, I think it's really important to take a hands up approach to your interaction, i.e. see the conversation as looking for mutual benefit, and offer help freely. Think about all the help you can give the person and put it out there. Don't ever doubt that job karma exists!
Key Element #2 - You may not realize this, but you have the ability to offer help to people far more senior than you, and it is in the giving of help that you are most likely to receive.
Once you have created honest and real connections with 5-10 people, or at this point maybe advocates, you can begin seeding the idea of your job hunt. One of the best conversations I've ever had with one of my advocates was with the CEO of a TV company who sat down at coffee with me and simply said "what are you looking for, and how can I help?" I was blown away. I mean, this person is quite literally amazing, and here I was getting their help.
The name I give to this is activating your network, and is a powerful part of any job search. Now, it's not necessarily about getting a job WITH your that person from your network, note that I don't currently work at a TV company, but through my network have been connected to many amazing people that have led to jobs. As long as you have a clear, or clear-ish, idea of what direction you want to head in, people can be endlessly helpful.
Key Element #3 - Don't start activating your network until you've done some real thinking about where you want to go next, and possibly where you want to go after that!
Look at it this way, even people who REALLY want to help you can only do what you ask of them. If you say "you know, I think want to work in an office...." well, jeez, you're in big trouble. You don't have to have it all figured out right now necessarily, but you do need to be able to articulate the key points about what your next job should have.
I'll be honest, I've been told on a few occasions that I need to go away and figure out what I really want to do because I wasn't clear enough. But that was good advice, and led to better places in the long run. So do your homework, and dig deep to figure out what you really want to be doing.
None of this will work for 100% of people 100% of the time, but if you follow these three key elements you'll be well on your way to developing a solid network. I don't care whether you work at Starbucks or TD Financial, find people more senior than you and start a conversation. You'll be amazed what can happen when you do!
-exit soapbox-
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6 comments:
We used to just call it ass-kissing. It could be a very complex process and we were often amazed at the results we could achieve.
Hahhaa. that was clearly before facebook. Really though, I think you used to call it "making a name for yourself" and I think that was a good name.
Hi Paul - I really enjoyed reading this, which is saying a lot since I'm probably responsible for several of your internet hits for "I hate networking". You would have seen me even more had you typed in "I despise networking". You are right that people do think of networking in a certain stereotyped way. I usually think of "fake", "superficial", and "shameless self promotion" when I hear about networking, but you make a very good point that it can be not related to looking for a job but rather looking to learn from people, their life experience, and your sharing of it.
I tend to seek out conversations with people because something about how they look at the world is interesting and unexpected. These then become natural conversations on both sides. The challenge I find is that I don't have that natural click with the majority of people, and then the gift of gab becomes very important to bridge the gap. I'm always in awe of people like you, peter, and others I know who seem to relate to a large variety of people and carry on natural conversation. This I think is a natural talent that some people have, and others can just work to improve. It helps to have a concrete task or interest to discuss, for those of us who feel they need a topic to build mutual interest in the conversation.
Some thoughts from the quieter members of society :)
Oh, ps - I also really liked this because of your writing style. It is very engaging.
Thanks to you for both the kind words and the thoughts. Feel free to share my post far and wide.
I think that it is important to look at this as building relationships with later-stage career people. It is often easy to strike up conversation with people who are of a similar age or similar position, but reaching out to a CEO or VP of something can seem harder. The thing is, these are people too...if not a whole lot busier than many of us.
A quick thought on your "gift of gab" compliment: my whole idea when I'm talking and relating to people is about asking questions and learning about their life. People like to talk about themselves generally, and this fosters an easier setting for good conversation. Maybe look at it like that, rather than pushing yourself to say something memorable or unique...some of my best conversations are ones where I learned the most about the person across from me. The more you do this, the easier it gets!
Thanks again for you thoughts!
You've provided great information that clarifies what networking is all about. By reading this, I have gained more understanding on how networking works.
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