Networking is a Job

I remember the first networking seminar I attended on my college campus. I went because I knew nothing of networking. While my family is big, I have a small immediate family. I didn't know any family friends with access to jobs and/or opportunities. When I went to college, I met friends whose families had careers I wanted in the future. But I never, ever pursued a friendship hoping to get an internship or job offer. I never asked the family members of my friends to discuss their careers. It just seemed so opportunistic.

As I began to read more business related magazines, this networking term came up so often. Considering my background, I thought I was a sore loser at having come from a family of no opportunity. So, there I went to this networking seminar. I was told about the alumni student network where I could contact alumni in a particular field. Then, I was told to never ask for or hint to wanting a job/ internship. I was confused. If a student interested in my career contacted me, wouldn’t I assume they wanted a way into this career field? Is networking just talking and acting as if the purpose is not an opportunity? Or is it a way to access opportunities? The seminar didn't answer my questions.

I eventually learned networking skills; Mainly through my experience working in the catering equipment department of a catering company. The group of people I worked with was small and I got to know so many so well. When I left, I knew I could always depend on them. I learned networking is often about keep up with friends but when an opportunity is relative to a friend, this friend would probably want access to it. The rest of my networking knowledge came by reading, listening and watching more on business and careers. One immense amount of knowledge has come from, Tom Henschel’s “the Look and Sound of Leadership” podcast. Such podcasts as “Elevator Speeches” “I talk too fast” “Networking” “Act ‘as if’” and many others are very helpful. Henschel is an executive coach and his podcasts are free. Go to itunes or his website for access.

This week, I read “Five Ways to Take Charge of Your Own Networking” by Ivan Misner on Entrepreneur.com. The article was a guide to being the networking expert or Chief Networking Officer of a small company. Misner's point is, most likely, an entrepreneur is their own CNO and he gives five guidelines:

1. Participate in two or three networking events each month, and follow up with people you meet
2. Touch base with past business contacts by making two personal phone calls each week
3. Use postcards and greeting cards to stay in touch with people throughout the year.
4. Take good care of your database
5. Always thank your referral partners

I won’t go into the details of each guideline as the article is thorough enough. Misner is speaking of networking as a career and business necessity. It is also for individuals. While we are living vicariously through technology, word of mouth is still a strong networking device.

I am still learning to network, slowly building up my contacts and gaining more confidence in representing myself to others. One important aspect of networking I learned is being able to represent myself and learn my own elevator speech. That is, being able speak confidently about myself, present myself well, and to, within a few minutes, fully explain who I am, goals, and purpose. Most times, all one has is a few minutes to gain an great opportunity.