Take The Mystery Out Of Networking
Contributed by Elaine Landau
I recently attended a very hooty-snooty gathering honoring an up-and-coming executive. Since my invitation was actually my boss’s, I tried to keep a low profile next to the buffet table. I was intrigued as I watched this woman work the party. She was charming, gracious, impeccably dressed, and able to float around the room, making each and every person feel important and welcome. A waitress, holding a full tray of jumbo shrimp, was also watching her press the flesh. Feeling like I needed to fill the silence, I commented, ”Boy, she has a lot of friends.” A waitress whispered, “Friends? No, no, no, no. Contacts. She has a lot of contacts. Do you know who’s paying for this shindig?” I shyly admitted that I had no idea. The waitress snickered, “She is. She paid for it and made sure every person in town who might be her next boss was invited. She’s a smart one, she is.” I was stunned, “Are you sure?” She smiled. “I’m the caterer. I know who signed my check.” With that, she offered me a jumbo shrimp and disappeared into the crowd of movers and shakers.
I left that party knowing two things:
- If I want to meet the right people, I need to create the right circumstances and network, network, network.
- I’m never going to hire that caterer. Talk about a big mouth.
Networking goes two ways.
I once heard that a rising star should be kind to the little people on the way up, because they’ll still be there on the way down. Basically I interpret that to mean that being a decent human being to everyone you encounter is key to being a success. It isn’t just impressing people who can hire you, it is being kind to the company receptionist, polite to the mail guy, and never taking your title too seriously. If you are looking to someone to help you, don’t be aloof if someone seeks help from you. No matter where you are on the food chain, there’s always someone above you and below you. Be gracious. Be honest. Be truthful. Don’t promise an introduction and never deliver. Don’t accept a resume and file it in the trash. Treat people the way you wish to be treated.
Networking to find a job.
In a shrinking job market, job seekers have to rise above the rest of the pack. Today, solid experience, an impressive educational background, and superior skills are almost givens. What more can you do to tip the scales in your direction? Many times a positive in-person encounter is the only thing that separates you from the unemployed.
Networking to keep a job.
My supervisor once asked me why she felt some employees did not respect her. I knew the answer, but was scared to death to be honest. But, being the torturously honest person that I am, I told her it was because her staff knew she didn’t understand what they did or how they did it. She was shocked and became defensive. That’s just about when I wished I had kept my mouth shut. But I had already committed, why not just sink my career in one fell swoop? I explained that she delegated well, but when she was giving specific directions, she faltered on specific terms. It was obvious that her basic computer education was lacking. She was not well versed in any of the programs used by her employees. She just knew deadlines.
To my surprise, that supervisor really listened. She discovered online tutorials for Word, Excel®, QuickBooks®, and Photoshop®. She explored basic Internet tutorials so she could converse intelligently with her staff without resorting to phrases such as “those engine things you use to find things out” or “those programs you use to draw stuff.”
In this case, networking was helping someone senior to myself in the pecking order. I never mentioned our conversation again to her or to anyone else. She knew she could trust me. That trust carried us through many difficult campaigns and her recommendation that I be promoted into her position when she retired.
Make a contact, keep a contact.
In this ever-changing job market, professionals rarely stay on a job for decades. It is not unusual to discover someone you met a few months ago at one agency is now at another agency. Therefore, if you make a good contact through networking, keep that contact. Send periodic e-mails to keep in touch. Forward articles you think would be of interest. If you offer to do a favor, do it. Sincerity and follow-through are key to keeping solid business relationships.
The network you build today, will affect you tomorrow.
Never, never, never recommend someone to another party out of guilt or flimsy obligation. If a person is walking into a situation with your seal of approval, that person is representing you. If he/she is not everything you said he/she would be, your recommendations will come into question FOREVER.
Good networking is based on respect. You need to respect other people and other people’s time. If you waste another professional’s time, they will never forget it.
Hidden Jobs.
Many open positions are never advertised. You won’t find them in the want ads, at a company web site or on the job board. They are, however, in the backs of the minds of many bosses who know they need “somebody” in their organization. They just haven’t found the right person. Networking is key to finding the right person for the right job that nobody knew ever existed.
Excel is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation registered in the U.S. and other countries. QuickBooks is a trademark of Intuit, Inc., or one of its subsidiaries, in the U.S. and other countries.
Photoshop is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the U.S. and other countries.
About the Author:
Elaine Landau is a freelance writer, publicist, web site editor, and television writer with more than 15 years of experience in marketing, advertising, and publicity.
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