Whenever I read a story about networking, I'm nagged by this feeling its too removed from the day-to-day. Even with some our own recent articles on the topic, I wonder if we've broken the concept down into so many components, their context has gotten blurred.
What made me decide to write this was Jon Jacobs' story about the importance of introducing colleagues to each other as part of your networking efforts. (The story's here.) In it, Jon makes a good point: When you're networking, it's not supposed to be about you. It's about helping others connect, and building your reputation as a collegial sort who's inclined to help others out with information and contacts. In most articles I see, this point gets lost.
Networking's concept is simple: You get your butt out of your chair and go meet people. Tools like LinkedIn, or Facebook, or MySpace are all about finding the people you'd like to meet. How do you identify them? I don't know - that's up to you. Some want to meet folks they can do business with, others want to meet experts in a particular area (say, state and local tax, or maybe even New Jersey state and local tax), and still others want to meet anyone who's doing any kind of business in Rockland County, N.Y. Probably, you want to meet folks with some combination of characteristics. It all depends on your job, your goals, and how you do business.
Whomever you're trying to meet, remember that networking is a long-term proposition. You don't ask someone to hire you with your first breath after shaking their hand. In fact, you should meet people with the idea you're not going to ask them for anything more than an hour of time to have coffee with you. From then on, every conversation you have with them will build your credibility a little bit more. When you do need something - an introduction to someone else, some inside dirt on how a potential employer or client works - asking for it will seem natural.
Remember, though, that other people have different time frames. Someone you know might need that introduction from you before you need it from them. Jon's article tells you how to make sure you're using your network effectively, so you can be thought of as a go-to solution.
In Networking, Making Introductions Pay Off [JITM]
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1 comment:
Mark,
I like your point about networking being a long-term proposition. Networking shouldn't start when you are in a job search. People should always be networking. That way if they do find themselves in job search mode, they will have already established relationships with people who know and trust them.
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