We’ve heard it a million times: “It’s WHO you know (or who you blow according to some), not what you know,” i.e., networking is the way to jobs, sales, boyfriends, whatever. Now, the word “networking” is being sold as a learnable skill like typing, Excel or fire baton twirling. In the universe of job hunting “tips & tricks,” mastery of the craft is touted as the magical key to career success. There are books, articles, workshops and evil “networking events.” As with meat market bars, I’d rather have dental surgery than go to one. Eyes dart around awkwardly, sizing up each potential contact, deciding in a few seconds whether or not the other is worth a roll in the professional hay. Corporate pose-fests. Fake, fake, fake. And everybody drinks just to get through them.
I haven’t heard of anyone getting much out of these vocational speed dating rounds. My profitable connections have come from actual friends who I can speak to without putting on my suit. Opportunities have always materialized out of the most random, coincidental sequences of events. Case in point: I ended up at Verizon Wireless for thirteen years as a result of a tip from a veterinary technician.
While I was phasing out of my performing career, I took retail job. I got tired of living with fifteen roommates and eating Top Ramen everyday, so I decided to quit and look for a higher-paying, more upwardly mobile gig. My good friend who worked as a veterinary bookkeeper convinced the doctor to give me a $7/hour job reorganizing the filing system. While suffering through my cat allergy – a mixed blessing since it kept me from smelling the dog poop – I cold called on every entry level marketing want ad (yep, newspapers back in the day). No response at best, rude hang-ups at worst. Despair.
Enter the vet tech: “My mom is friends with the lady that hires for AirTouch Cellular (one of the companies eventually eaten by Verizon). You should give her a call.” I did. She interviewed me the next day, and I was hired as a temp in the Equipment Services call center, grateful to be making $11/hr. Temp became perm, and perm lead to tuition reimbursement. Then I began whoring myself out to the MarCom department for side projects. The colleagues I met along the way lead me to my target job in the advertising group. I could not have guessed that the guy who clips dog toenails for a living would lead me to my next thirteen-year career.
Each step was a coincidence based on contacts I made as a result of true interest. Was strategy involved? Sure, but I didn’t have to cruise a hotel ballroom with a fistful of business cards pretending like I cared about supply chain systems, blah, blah, blah.
Has meat market "networking" ever worked for you? Professionally, that is. I don't want to hear about the salacious successes right now.
This is how I like to network:
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