2 Points About Networking

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Last Thursday, I was having dinner with a friend at a cozy Greek bakery west of the Chicago Loop.  While I munched on frutti di mare, J explains to me the problems she’s encountered since her job search began.

Surprisingly, J thinks it is increasingly harder to connect with people. This was a curious discovery because my pal is an excellent networker who manages tons of contacts and never seems to not know something or someone.

My opinion, however, is a tad biased because I tend to think if anyone knows people outside their own family they must have social skills akin to that of a Social Guru.

Get on the Flipside

With all bias aside, J explains that she hasn’t had trouble within her available network – it was the web of people in which she wanted to integrate. You see, J is a teacher-turned-career-changer who is interested in shifting her focus from classroom education to educational programming, specifically working on children’s literacy.

J spent months researching organizations, non-profits, and tapping into her own contacts for possible opportunities beyond her own networking web. She got a fair share of nibbles, but, in a moment of bitter frankness,  J told me whatever contacts she had made seemed to purposely insulate themselves from her.

Getting kind replies about job vacancies and then passed off to goodness-knows-who in HR left her even more desperate for a real connection. Knowing the importance of persistence, J would occasionally keep her newly made contacts in the loop about her recent endeavors and attempt to engage them about her continued interest in educational work, career opportunities and her volunteerism with literacy programs.

None of them seemed too interested. Not even on a social level.

J’s situation is not unique, it’s not even extreme. Perhaps, it’s the economy. Or, people jealously guarding jobs from individuals they consider “professional outsiders.” Or, maybe – just maybe, math teachers are weird.

Gaming the System

It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to pretend to know any answers.

Yet, I do know that networking is not merely a system of “Gimme, gimme, gimme.” It thrives because a person’s network is only as good as the next contact made. There’s no (professional) sense in insulating yourself from others, no matter how unorthodox it may seem.

Keeping tabs on people who are looking to enter your choice of profession (or leave it) should be a no-brainer. Sometimes, however, brains don’t enter into the picture when people are challenged (or blessed) with the opportunity to expand their professional and social cliques. Learn to appreciate the six degrees of separation that interlaces the world. It’s not too much to show a little encouragement - no matter how small – to those who are trying to connect with you.

Those seemingly innocuous social and professional kindnesses you pay today will be returned tenfold tomorrow.