The Losers
Maybe you’ve thought, “I'm not doing that in a million years! What a suck-up.”
Perhaps the person is a suck-up, but what’s also true is that this man or woman is getting acquainted with the people in the crowd. And this person may get ahead because he or she knows how to network. While you’re standing there snickering. Who's the real loser in this situation? YOU are!
We All Network
How did you meet your significant other and your best friend? They didn't just materialize out of thin air. You knew someone who already knew them. Or you met at in the line at a grocery store, at a bookstore, at the gym or a local bar, maybe even online.
We call that networking.
Anyone looking for a job needs to get over the misplaced negativity associated with the word, and start doing it. Now!
How to Network Successfully
To get ahead and grow my business, I used to attend industry functions all the time because I knew it was the thing I needed to do. After scores of functions with no new contacts, I wondered what was the point of going to these events. I knew that successful professionals swore by them, but the value was lost on me. I seemed to get nothing out of the time I spent "networking" - a complete waste of time and energy.
Then, I replayed the last few functions in my mind. Finally, a light went on, and I understood what I had been missing.
Although I meant business when I went to the events, I acted like a wallflower at a grade-school dance. I would bring a friend, and we’d stand off to the side and watch the action, talking about everyone instead of talking to them. I was missing the point of these gatherings and missing all the opportunities that were there for the taking, because I was clinging to my friend—as if she were a life preserver.
So, I set a goal for myself: I couldn’t leave until I introduced myself to at least new three people, and those people had to be business people attending to meet other business people. (The first few events I attended after this self-imposed policy, all three people I approached were waiters. So I had to modify my goal to meet "business people.")
That seemingly simple change has made an enormous difference. I have connected and partnered on projects with dozens of new people as a consequence.
Bottom Line:
So next time you’re at an event, don’t hug that wall: get up some courage, hold out your hand and say hi to someone new.
© Copyright, 2010, Tory Johnson. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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About This Author:
Tory Johnson is the CEO of Women For Hire and the author of Fired to Hired. She’s also the workplace contributor on ABC’s Good Morning America. Talk to her directly at Twitter.com/ToryJohnson.
