Networking. It's a word that makes many people's skin crawl. That's because it often invokes an image of sleazy sales people trying to force fake conversation in order to accomplish an ulterior motive. While in school, your career counselors and professors use phrases like "expand your network" and "network your way into a good job" when giving you tips on getting hired. But does that mean you have to be something you're not?
It's time we realized that networking is not a four letter word. It's a tool that you cannot live without if you want to advance your career. That doesn't mean you have to study up about college football even though you hate it, just to impress your boss who is a football fanatic, or that you have to go fishing with your clients just to prove you can relate to them despite your disgust of baiting a hook. In a recent article by Virginia Business Magazine entitled Career vs. Culture: Do you Have to Choose?, two CPAs explore the social hurdles they had to overcome in order to succeed in their profession. One author notes that as the daughter of immigrants, she was taught to respect her elders and speak only when she was spoken to. This posed a problem for her when she entered the workforce, because she felt it was disrespectful to raise her opinion during a meeting or provide professional input directly to her boss. Being an active part of your team and showing initiative is a key component of networking, and one that can boost your career when done appropriately. Working with colleagues to find a compromise that melds the best of everyone's ideas is a skill that you will find is appreciated by those around you. It is possible to provide a contradicting idea without offending someone if it enables you to reach the best solution.
The second author notes that he was uncomfortable bringing his accomplishments and contributions to the attention of his peers and supervisors, fearful of seeming arrogant. He soon realized that he was the only one with the power to give himself credit where credit was due. Many of us are understandably uncomfortable praising ourselves, but we need to learn to highlight our contributions to our employer when the opportunity arises. Many firms have a performance review process which asks employees to periodically rate their performance and discuss personal accomplishments and areas for improvement. While we all have room for improvement, do not be too bashful and fail to showcase your successful contributions and fulfillment of responsibilities on your performance reviews. It's alright to nominate yourself for positions of leadership or awards if you feel you have rightfully earned them. You are the one responsible for building your resume, not your boss, so take advantage of every opportunity to get ahead.
The aspect of networking that most people struggle with is the social component. In an informal environment such as a gathering of fellow professionals or a recruiting event, how do you relate to strangers while making important business connections? A major rule is to avoid being something you're not. Don't try to talk about topics you know nothing about as if you were an expert, just to get people to like you. Thankfully, the workplace isn't high school. Try and steer the conversation toward something you and your colleague are both comfortable with. Find some common ground, perhaps the same Alma mater, familiarity with a particular city, or similar tastes in reading materials. Even if you speak with someone for two minutes before exchanging business cards and parting ways, you want to strike a chord with them that will make you memorable and leave an impression of approachability in the other person's mind. That way, they'll be much more likely to contact you later on for business or professional connections, which is, after all, the purpose of networking.
No one was born to network, so don't be afraid to work on aspects of it with which you are less comfortable. We all need improvement and the leverage of relationships to advance our careers.
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