Network! Like your career depends on it.
If I had to make a list of things that have helped advance in my career as well as in life, the ability to build lasting constructive relationships would be numero uno!
I'd like to debunk the cliche It's not what you know, it's who you know, except sometimes... it really can come down to knowing the right person who enables you to be in the right place at the right time and appear there as the ideal person for the job. I guess I would amend the saying to It's not what you know, it's who knows you know it.
Unfortunately, networking or self-marketing is not something that comes naturally for everyone. If you are shy, or socially awkward the idea of walking into a crowded room, making rounds trying to convince total strangers you're worth giving a chance can be daunting, to say the least. I've watched people become physically ill at the thought of doing just that. And I get it. People can be scary.
However, more and more in today's society it is absolutely a skill you will need to master. More often than not, whether you are given a chance will depend not on your resume or your qualifications, but rather on your ability to leave the impression that you can be trusted to do the desired job. Whether or not you're up for the task. Having someone who can vouch for you can be the only way to put others at ease with that sometimes.
Stay with me though. The type of networking I'm encouraging is not the same walk around the room, shake a bunch of sweaty hands and give 100 strangers your rehearsed elevator speech scenario you may have in mind. That is one form of networking, and it certainly has it's place. In this case though, I'm talking about building relationships. Long lasting, positive, professional relationships. And instilling a sense of confidence in those you meet and work with that enables them to later recommend you without reservation.
The first step is to realize that you've probably already done a lot more of this type of networking than you'd think to give yourself credit for. That's because we tend to do this naturally, as a part of our day-to-day lives, activities or work without giving a second though.
Unfortunately, it is that tendency that can cause us to overlook and undersell ourselves at times.
So, don't think of it as networking. Maybe just working. But at your highest potential.
I remember there was one time when I was up for a promotion with another department. I went to the interview, and I thought that I totally bombed. No lie. I felt like every question they asked, I was responding with 'No. Well, no, I'm not familiar with that. No, I've never done that exactly, but I'm a fast learner." I was counting down the agonizing minutes until I could get out of there, and when I left I certainly never expected to hear back from that job.
You can imagine then how shocked I was to hear back that same week, within a couple of days if I'm not mistaken, with a job offer!
I would later learn that a previous coworker had been a part of the deciding factor. The kicker is that this coworker wasn't even someone I got along with. When we worked together, we would butt heads constantly! However, when it came down to it, despite our personal differences, this person knew what kind of work ethic and skills I had, and was able to speak to them more convincingly than my resume or even I had in the interview. Ultimately, it came down to someone else saying 'Yeah, she's the one for the job!'
Now, in that situation I obviously got really lucky. Had this coworker been less of a professional, she could have chosen to give me a bad reference due to our personal differences. I'm grateful that she did not, but I also learned a valuable lesson. That lesson was to start making sure that I always left people with at minimum a sense of confidence in my professional abilities, and when possible try to impress them with my personality as well.
This is not to be confused with being fake, brown-nosing, or kissng ass.
To the contrary, you are focusing on yourself. On honing your craft, going the extra mile and being the best at what you do. Presenting the best possible version of yourself to the world, and giving 110%. Not just because you want to make a good impression, but because that's who you are. In making sure you take the time to rock whatever it is you're doing at work, people are going to be impressed, naturally.
Now all that's left is for you to take notice of those who are noticing you. Be sure to get their contact information, and when the time comes those are the kinds of people you want to use for references or ask for letters of recommendation.
When you think about it that way, networking doesn't seem quite so scary, does it?
I'd like to debunk the cliche It's not what you know, it's who you know, except sometimes... it really can come down to knowing the right person who enables you to be in the right place at the right time and appear there as the ideal person for the job. I guess I would amend the saying to It's not what you know, it's who knows you know it.
Unfortunately, networking or self-marketing is not something that comes naturally for everyone. If you are shy, or socially awkward the idea of walking into a crowded room, making rounds trying to convince total strangers you're worth giving a chance can be daunting, to say the least. I've watched people become physically ill at the thought of doing just that. And I get it. People can be scary.
However, more and more in today's society it is absolutely a skill you will need to master. More often than not, whether you are given a chance will depend not on your resume or your qualifications, but rather on your ability to leave the impression that you can be trusted to do the desired job. Whether or not you're up for the task. Having someone who can vouch for you can be the only way to put others at ease with that sometimes.
Stay with me though. The type of networking I'm encouraging is not the same walk around the room, shake a bunch of sweaty hands and give 100 strangers your rehearsed elevator speech scenario you may have in mind. That is one form of networking, and it certainly has it's place. In this case though, I'm talking about building relationships. Long lasting, positive, professional relationships. And instilling a sense of confidence in those you meet and work with that enables them to later recommend you without reservation.
Relax!
The first step is to realize that you've probably already done a lot more of this type of networking than you'd think to give yourself credit for. That's because we tend to do this naturally, as a part of our day-to-day lives, activities or work without giving a second though.
Unfortunately, it is that tendency that can cause us to overlook and undersell ourselves at times.
C'mon now, you've got to give yourself more credit than that!
So, don't think of it as networking. Maybe just working. But at your highest potential.
I remember there was one time when I was up for a promotion with another department. I went to the interview, and I thought that I totally bombed. No lie. I felt like every question they asked, I was responding with 'No. Well, no, I'm not familiar with that. No, I've never done that exactly, but I'm a fast learner." I was counting down the agonizing minutes until I could get out of there, and when I left I certainly never expected to hear back from that job.
You can imagine then how shocked I was to hear back that same week, within a couple of days if I'm not mistaken, with a job offer!
I would later learn that a previous coworker had been a part of the deciding factor. The kicker is that this coworker wasn't even someone I got along with. When we worked together, we would butt heads constantly! However, when it came down to it, despite our personal differences, this person knew what kind of work ethic and skills I had, and was able to speak to them more convincingly than my resume or even I had in the interview. Ultimately, it came down to someone else saying 'Yeah, she's the one for the job!'
Now, in that situation I obviously got really lucky. Had this coworker been less of a professional, she could have chosen to give me a bad reference due to our personal differences. I'm grateful that she did not, but I also learned a valuable lesson. That lesson was to start making sure that I always left people with at minimum a sense of confidence in my professional abilities, and when possible try to impress them with my personality as well.
This is not to be confused with being fake, brown-nosing, or kissng ass.
To the contrary, you are focusing on yourself. On honing your craft, going the extra mile and being the best at what you do. Presenting the best possible version of yourself to the world, and giving 110%. Not just because you want to make a good impression, but because that's who you are. In making sure you take the time to rock whatever it is you're doing at work, people are going to be impressed, naturally.
Now all that's left is for you to take notice of those who are noticing you. Be sure to get their contact information, and when the time comes those are the kinds of people you want to use for references or ask for letters of recommendation.
When you think about it that way, networking doesn't seem quite so scary, does it?
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