The following article was written by Barbara Moses Ph.D. Dr. Moses is a best-selling author, international speaker and noted authority on organizational career management. Her latest book is "The Good News About Careers" (Jossey Bass). Any information presented in this article does not necessarily reflect the
phylosophy, view or policy of JPMorganChase.
Networking is one of to day's most important career skills. We all need to be plugged into
a variety of networks to keep up with developments in our field and position ourselves to take advantage of new opportunities -- particularly in today's fluid workplace, with its growing emphasis on short-term assignments and multidisciplinary project teams.
Yet many people are
clumsy, if not misguided, in their networking.
We all know people who are so highly instrumental in their networking that they completely turn us off. When Gary T. calls me, as he does every year or so, I know he's either lost his job, or is looking for some other type of help. In between these calls, I may as well not exist -- and being heartily congenial when he does call does not conceal the fact that this is clearly a "fair-weather friendship".
Other people, on the other hand, are so uncomfortable about the whole idea of networking that they do it as little as possible. They think of it as being manipulative and exploitative -- using other people to help them get ahead. Or they feel it is somehow unseemly for them to have to "schmooze" or "glad-hand". They see networking as fundamentally insincere -- feigning interest in someone when all you really want is to use them for your own ends.
Mutually Supportive Relationships
Rather than being about glad-handing or "using people", networking is really about expanding your relationships and developing mutually supportive relationships. It is as much about being there for someone else as about "using" someone else to get ahead.
When you network properly, the other person is as likely to be the beneficiary as you are. You might learn about a possible merger at a customer's company, for example, while they find the name of a great contact for raising money for a community association you belong to.
Indeed, a general goal you should set for yourself in every networking contact is to find something out about the other person. You should leave each conversation knowing something new about them, either about additional business lines, trends affecting their business, or some of the challenges they are currently facing.
Don't Look For An Immediate Payback
- The exchange of information mayor may not lead to an immediate payoff. Relationships take time to nurture, and one doesn't enter every relationship looking for something of immediate economic value.
Don't measure your networking by its economic utility or the
immediacy of the payback.
Networking should not be based on pure exchange. I routinely receive phone calls from people who want to meet to discuss a potentially "mutually rewarding relationship." This often leaves me with a queasy feeling. Perhaps I would have been quite happy to meet with this person -- not to satisfy some need of my own, but simply to help them.
The promise of a "mutually rewarding" relationship completely undermines this desire to be helpful and removes any motivation to meet with them. I also find it extremely presumptuous for someone I don't know to be making assumptions about what will be good for me.
If you are looking for help, don't sugarcoat it by implying you are doing the other person as much of a favor as they are doing for you.
Types of Networker
. The Robotic Networker
. The Information Interviewer
. The Incessant Networker
. The Out-of-Left Field Networker
. The Narrow Networker
The Robotic Networker: Erica C. was invited to a get-together with a group of talented and accomplished women from a broad range of professional fields. While the other women were having animated discussion about everything under the sun, from work and careers to relationships and children to pure gossip, punctuated by gales of laughter, Erica was going around collecting business cards.
"That was great," she told her host, at the end of the evening. "I've got 15 business cards!" Instead of establishing new friendships or deepening old ones, Erica was concerned only to identify potential resources to assist her with work-related problems. If she had allowed herself to participate in the spirit of the evening, she could have learned much that could help her in her life as well as her career.
The Information Interviewer: "I'm currently exploring my career options. I'd like to meet with you and learn about what you do. " Everyone gets these calls. We've been getting them ever since the job search gurus began to advocate "information interviewing" as a strategy for making contacts and positioning yourself for opportunities ("I'd really appreciate it if you
could critique my resume. . . "j.
This was once an ingenious notion: most people like to be helpful, after all, and are usually flattered to be asked for advice. But it's a strategy that's getting tired. People have heard it too often.
In today's frenetic work world, most people don't have the luxury of time to meet personally with each caller. At best, they may be able to spend some time on the phone. Information-seekers who insist on a face-to-face meeting will usually be disappointed. And trust me, the promise of a free lunch is not going to make a meeting more likely.
If you are seeking information, be mindful of the other person's time. One possible strategy is to make contact bye-mail, which grants the recipient more control over when, if ever, to deal with your request. But don't let the ease of transmitting e-mail lead you into besieging your contact with a lot of information, or require them to take an inordinate amount of time responding. If you hope to get a useful response, be targeted. (And if you get a response, make sure you thank the person afterward!).
The Incessant Networker: Recently I was telling a client how I avoid talking to fellow passengers on airplanes. He was horrified, asking: "But what if the person sitting next you was a potential client?" I admire entrepreneurial zeal as much as the next person. But you don't have to approach every interaction as a potential business lead.
The Out-of-Left Field Networker: The caller says: "Hello, this is Jill. I'm in the process of changing my career direction, and I'd like your opinion. You were so helpful before..." And you wonder: "Who in the world is Jill?"
When you're calling someone you haven't seen or spoken to in years, don't assume the person will instantly remember you -- particularly if the previous encounter was fleeting. If in doubt, provide some clues as you initiate the conversation so the other person can recall you ("Hello, this is Jill Smith. You may not remember me, but I'm a friend of Fred Jones and we met..."). Don't overestimate your own importance in their life.
The Narrow Networker: It's amazing how parochial some people are in their networking. Bankers hang out with bankers, accountants with accountants, programmers with programmers. As a result, they develop a very narrow view of the world.
In today's work world, where breadth is an increasingly key requirement for career success, expanding your network horizons will increase your understanding of critical business and social trends. Developing a broad network of contacts both inside your workplace and outside it -- for example by participating in professional associations, social-interest groups and community organizations -- gives you a broader perspective on your work, as well as enriching your life.
Moreover, even from a purely practical point of view, it makes little sense to network only with people in your profession or industry. If there is a downturn in your area, you could find yourself in a network of people all looking for the same kind of work. Getting involved in multiple networks will increase your exposure to potential opportunities if you need to make a career
transition.
Networking is Good Social Relations
best networkers are conscious of the other person in the equation. They know what that
person needs or values. They take genuine pleasure in doing something that makes a small
difference in that person's life. They are willing to spend a little extra effort helping out, and they don't begrudge the time they spend helping. Neither do they view it as a quid pro quo,
expecting something of equal value in return.
(c) BBM Human Resource Consultants Inc.
Create a Nenvorking Plan Worksheet
I can broaden my network by approaching. . .
Name of potential contact:
1. ____________________________________
2. ____________________________________
3. ____________________________________
4. ____________________________________
Contact #1
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Write down what you want to learn/ask about and what you want to share or contribute to the relationship.
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Contact #2_____________________
Jot down what you want to learn/ask about and what you want to share or contribute to the
relationship.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Contact #3_____________________
Jot down what you want to learn/ask about and what you want to share or contribute to the relationship.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________________________________
Contact #4_____________________
Jot down what you want to learn/ask about and what you want to share or contribute to the relationship.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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(c) BBM Human Resource Consultants Inc. |