I am going to come right out and say it: I don’t like networking or rather I don’t like the image I have of networking. Based on this statement, why would you want to continue reading and why have I written about it? Firstly, I suspect that my reservations are probably shared by many people. Secondly, I have observed it being done well and this has helped me to redefine how I think about networking. Finally, when I stopped to think about the purpose of networking, I realized it didn’t need to be awful and we can often avoid or minimize the bits we don’t like. This post is in the category of “things I wish I knew earlier in my career”.
I can't believe you've not included Sam's passion for ensuring she is fully briefed before she meets people, then forgets all her bullet point info and instead suggests cocktails! An all-round excellent networker :-)
I wonder, does anyone actually *like* networking? Or are we all just walking around networking events pretending we want to be there while forcing conversation with each other? I'd love to hear from someone who is like, "I have a deep love of networking!!"
I'm so glad you said that! I feel this must be the truth for most people. The only time I see people enjoying themselves is when they have been returning to the same industry events every year and run into people they have known for years. They are already networked in. My mental barrier is thinking about all the networking I would need to do to get to this level of comfort.
I can't believe you've not included Sam's passion for ensuring she is fully briefed before she meets people, then forgets all her bullet point info and instead suggests cocktails! An all-round excellent networker :-)
I wonder, does anyone actually *like* networking? Or are we all just walking around networking events pretending we want to be there while forcing conversation with each other? I'd love to hear from someone who is like, "I have a deep love of networking!!"
I'm so glad you said that! I feel this must be the truth for most people. The only time I see people enjoying themselves is when they have been returning to the same industry events every year and run into people they have known for years. They are already networked in. My mental barrier is thinking about all the networking I would need to do to get to this level of comfort.