More Than Small Talk
California CPA magazine: June 2008
Networking to Reach Your Career Goals
by Julie Bauke
Networking. This 10-letter word is enough to elicit an alarming array of reactions and emotions—not all of them positive—from otherwise reasonable professionals.
Few would deny that an ability and willingness to actively and strategically network is essential to reaching one’s career goals. But fewer still are the number of people comfortable enough with networking to do it effectively and strategically.
Understand Networking
To better embrace networking, let’s start by changing some of its misconceptions. Often dismissed as insignificant small talk or something only leveraged by job seekers and salespeople, networking is a critical skill to be used in your professional and personal life.
Think about it. We accomplish most things in our personal lives through other people. How do you find a good doctor, a reliable electrician or a restaurant for a special occasion? If you’re like most of us, you contact people who you trust and who you believe will steer you in the right direction.
Networking is the building of mutually beneficial relationships in support of personal, professional and business goals. Read that again. In fact, read it until the vision of the insincere, backslapping “networker” is scrubbed from your mind. That’s not networking. That’s the “throw it all against the wall and hope something sticks” strategy of professional and business development.
What is likely more common are those who agree that networking is a valuable part of getting the job done, but mistakenly believe that they aren’t any good at it because they are introverts. Well, that’s nonsense. Introverts have a natural gift when it comes to networking: they are generally good listeners. Unlike many extroverts (who listen just until they get an opportunity to talk again), introverts take information in and process it.
Go with a Goal, Wherever You Go
Effective networking must be part of a goal or a strategy. For example, when you attend a professional association event, is there someone you want to meet or something specific you want to learn? If there’s no goal, all your networking will just be small talk.
When I spoke at the CalCPA Celebrating Women CPAs event in October, I heard several variations of, “When I got here this morning, I sat in the car and had to talk myself into coming in.” Or my favorite: “As I was walking in, I was calculating how long I had to stay.”
But it begs the question, why did these professional women sign up for the event? Why do you sign up for events? You must want something. What do you want to learn? What do you have to offer other attendees? We all have some expertise, knowledge or information that could help someone else, but we might just be framing it incorrectly. Figure out what yours is and offer it generously and in the most effective way.
When you think about the next several steps in your career, define your goals. Do you have the network you need to reach your goals? Where are your gaps? For example, if your goal is to start your own firm, do you know people who have done it successfully who can help guide you and save you from pitfalls? Do you know web designers? Marketing professionals? How can you build key relationships now?
Be they specific events or your long-term career, if you haven’t articulated your goals (even to yourself), you don’t stand much of a chance of meeting them.
Be Ready to Answer the Inevitable
In Make Your Contacts Count, Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon describe the “three key moments: teaching your name (introducing yourself), answering the question ‘What do you do?’ and answering the question ‘What’s new?’ ”
Teaching your name: You can also include here learning your conversation partner’s name. The key? Slow down. You’re not in a race to see who can say their name the fastest. When it’s your turn, try the Forrest Gump method: “I’m Forrest, Forrest Gump.” Say your first name twice. When your partner says his name, repeat it. Look at the person’s nametag or business card. Ask a question about it. Even if you can’t remember the person’s last name, knowing the first name allows you to be able to introduce the person to others.
What do you do?: If you can answer this question with clarity and the listener can picture what you do based on your description, you will spark further conversation.
Don’t simply lead with the name of your company—that’s not what you do, but rather who pays you to do what you do. And don’t use your title, which come and go. Start with your profession and strengths before giving your rank, name and serial number.
For example, take Jill’s approach. Jill is an image and etiquette consultant.
When people ask her what she does, she responds, “I help people present themselves through their appearance and professional manners in a way that positions them for their greatest success.”
What’s new?: This question presents a great opportunity to put yourself forward. What’s the typical response, though? “Nothing much” or “same old stuff” or “busy.” No wonder so many conversations stop right there. My favorite question to ask is, “What exciting things are happening at the XYZ Company?”
Recently, I asked that question of a person I had just met who seemed a bit shy. Her face lit up and she told me all about a leadership day she had just planned and facilitated for her company’s management staff. It had gone very well and she was still basking in the glow of her success.
From there, we found many things to talk about, including some possible ways we might work together, which leads me to my last point.
Be the Face, Eyes and Ears of Your Organization
Effective networking enables you to have the right conversations and be in the right places to identify opportunities for yourself and your organization. If you’re in a role that includes some business development responsibility (and really, aren’t we all?), building key relationships is the best way to position your organization as the “go-to” resource when those in your network are in need of your services.
You can have the best logo, the slickest website and a values and mission statement that brings people to tears, but if you are not focused on building relationships by delivering high-quality services and demonstrating your character and competence, get ready to close your doors.
For example, if your daughter is on a basketball team with a girl whose dad has his own web design firm and you are looking for a new web designer, you may strike up a conversation with him to learn more about his services. However, if he routinely screams at the refs, brings his daughter late to games or openly criticizes other girls, you may not even broach that conversation. You may not even take the time to determine his competence because you don’t like what you see in his character.
And a note to “ref yellers:” that type of unprofessional behavior, wherever the setting, can cost you a business opportunity that you may not even know about.
Both character and competence must be present, visible and demonstrated at every opportunity—whether you’re working at a client site or on the sidelines of a basketball game.
Last Words
As a professional service provider, the ability to build mutually beneficial relationships is a must-have in your professional toolbox. Yes, building and using those relationships in your professional and personal life may feel awkward at first, like many new things. But keep at it and you will soon wonder why you were so hesitant. You might even find it—dare I say?—fun.
Julie Bauke is the founder of Congruity Career Consulting. You can reach her at Julie.bauke@congruitycareer.com.
