Let's talk about networking, shall we?
Stop ten people on the street, and ask them about networking. Nine of them will say things along these lines:
---I don't like to do it.
---It doesn't work for me.
Other answers, like "I never get anything out of it," "I'm shy," and so forth are just reflections of these basic issues. In fact, you could even sum it further into the broader "It's a waste of time," but for purposes, we need to work something a little more specific.
Here are the three things I'd like to always keep in mind when it comes to networking:
1. You're soaking in it. I love that old Palmolive commercial. She didn't know that she had her hands in the soap the whole time, and a lot of people don't realize that the moment they start talking to someone, they're networking. More purely when talking to strangers versus friends and family, I'll grant you. But simply by talking to people, you're giving them clues as to how they can help you. You're already doing it naturally, so can officially let go of the whole "I don't like it" thing.
2. The Golden Rule. From the school playground to the networking mixer, the deal is the same - treat others the way you want to be treated. Do you want someone pestering you for help? Of course not, and many people avoid networking because they don't want to be "used" that way. Sure, there are people out there like that, and you'll learn to avoid them. In the meantime, work on your networking karma, and seek first to help people, trusting that, as you prove your authentic interest in helping, other people will respond to that and seek to return the favor.
3. Listen. It's a disappearing art, but you'd be surprised how much it matters to people when they know they've been heard - and remembered. It'll make people that much more interested in you.
These same rules apply whether you're in the real world, or if you're in the online world of social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. In fact, Facebook claims they're doing what they can to make Facebook mirror "the social graph" of the real world.
In other words, they're making the experience of networking on Facebook as close to the experience of real-world networking as possible. So even if you're a technophobe, you can jump into a site like Facebook with confidence if you've got your real-world networking skills down cold.
Allen Voivod is the Chief Blogger for ResumeMachine.com, the leading resume distribution resource for managers, executives, and professionals looking to accelerate their job search results. Get the attention of thousands of hiring agents with the largest and most frequently updated recruiter database on the web, and dive into a wealth of immediately useful career articles and blog posts - all at www.ResumeMachine.com!
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