I’m not sure how many times by how many people I’ve been told this, but the key to landing a job or getting a promotion or just being at the top of your game during your career is networking, networking, networking. I hear it until I am almost blue to the face from career services, recruiters, friends, etc. It’s amazing how many times I hear this, and it’s almost like the “location, location, location” mantra that real estate has.
Normally when I hear this, I get tired of hearing it. The main reason is that people have the best intentions to tell you to network, but don’t have the faintest idea how to do it effectively. Many times they tell you to sell yourself, be bold and aggressive, and do nearly anything to get the job you want. However, Penelope Trunk’s article on networking for those who hate networking has a surprisingly refreshing and simple approach to networking: be nice and be yourself. Also, as mentioned in the article “Job hunting with social media”, you can use tools like linkedin, facebook and such to utilize networking
I love this simple approach. Looking back on the jobs that I had been hired for, all of them were not the result of schmoozing recruiters and hiring managers, nor was it my extensive job experience or grades or abilities. Simply put, it came down to being myself and sharing my positive experiences with those in my network. That’s it. No magic formula. This approach took quite a bit of pressure off, although I must say, it’s still not easy to do, especially when you’re out of work and looking for a job, because that situation in of itself can cause you to not act like yourself. An added bonus of the social media portion is that if you do use it for social purposes, networking on it isn’t much different from social aspects, except to stay professional and to put on your “work” face instead of your social one.
So to all those who say network, network, network, I agree with you, but next time, be yourself when doing it, and try not to give so much advice on how to schmooze.
2 comments:
Networking can be a good thing, but so far I haven't had much luck with it in regards to finding a job or internship, especially in career fairs. Those places seem like all they want to do is take your resume and be nice to promote their company, but then go back to the office and shred your resume and start all over again the next day.
I agree wholeheartedly with you Steve. Networking is so much more challenging than it seems to be. You need that drive and tenacity to go out there and face the wolves to get what you want and most of the time there are very few people who actually understand what the networking process is about and how effective as well as challening it can be but definitely worth it in the end
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