How’s your networking going? I’m asking as part of an informal study I’ve been conducting for a number of years. In my experience, extroverts tend to answer “Terrific” if they’ve been in contact with a lot of people, while introverted folks with the same number of contacts might reply, “Not so great.”
You can probably guess what’s going on. The extroverts draw energy from meeting others, so their enthusiasm grows with each new conversation. The introverts, on the other hand, feel depleted after many of these meetings.
The fascinating thing about networking is how entirely subjective it can be. In the absence of goals or metrics, evaluating the process boils down to your last conversation and whether you enjoyed it. That method might work for rating movies or dinners out, but it’s no way to manage your career.
To help you better evaluate, and hence improve your networking, I’ll start with a frequently forgotten principle: There’s more than one type of work-related networking. In fact, there might be dozens of types, but for simplicity, I lean toward two basic models: networking for career building and networking for job search.
Here are the basic differences between the two: One is used to build your career, the other to find a job. One is relationship-based, the other is transactional. And, one type of networking (career-building) benefits from developing deep and ongoing relationships, while the other type (job search) depends on touching base with as many people in as short a time as possible, to get specific information (manager names, job leads, etc.).
As you can see, these two types of networking are definitely not the same; mixing them up will set you back in both endeavors.
To be fair, the two methods do merge sometimes, as when you’re trying to build your career while also job seeking. This is especially the case with career-changers and new graduates.
Disregarding the instances when the two types of networking might co-exist or overlap, the fact is most people misapply their networking strategy by not starting with the end in mind. That is, if you don’t identify your goal (More colleagues in the field? Job leads in a specific company? Actual job interviews?), you’re less likely to apply an effective strategy and much less likely to meet your goal.
To make this easier, I’ll jump in and give you a basic rule to work with: If your primary goal right now is to find a job, then job search, or transactional networking must be your primary tool. You can layer in the relationship-based efforts later, but beginning with them will slow you down to a crawl.
Here’s an example. Suppose you are starting out in software design, having just finished your degree. Whether you’re a career-changer or a new entrant to the workforce, you will feel a dual tug to build your career while also finding a job. Recognizing this, someone will advise you to join a professional group of software designers, and to volunteer for a committee.
Ahh. And here’s where I’m going to pull rank. If you need a job, I’m going to add a critical element to that advice: Either choose the committee for visibility, or spend your time another way. That’s because job search networking (transactional) calls for you to touch as many people as possible.
In this example, it makes sense to be the person calling individuals to encourage membership (multiple touches) but not to be the person arranging tables for a workshop (you’ll meet only a handful of people). On the other hand, if you were trying to build a few deep relationships, then arranging tables together is one way to start down that path.
The other hallmark of transactional / job search networking is identifying a goal for each contact and then directly stating your request. Thus, if you’re trying to find a manager in a particular company, and you believe Person A can help, you should simply ask, “Could you tell me the name of the software development manager at XYZ Company?” Assuming Person A gives you the name, that’s a transaction completed. No need to meet for lunch or otherwise build a relationship. Just be timely and generous in your thanks and move on to contacting the manager.
Later, when you get a meeting with the manager and, eventually a job, your gratitude to Person A might take the form of a lunch out. If so, you’ll be engaging in relationship / career-building networking. In other words, you may have a new friend in your field. And you can never have too many of those.
Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or at 626 Armstrong Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.
