Do it right, don't "Network" again
Build your professional brand and foster professional friendships - not a professional network
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Build your professional brand and foster professional friendships - not a professional network.
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I have not met anyone who loves networking or networking events. They make you feel like a lousy salesman where you have to talk about yourselves to strangers. The pain doubles if you are job hunting since you have to ask for favors from strangers1.
Let us look at an alternative.
You are actively job hunting because you are looking for your Ikigai role or were laid off. You reach out to your professional and personal friends. They respond by supporting you and making referrals. Thanks to your professional friendships, a couple of weeks later you are now evaluating multiple opportunities.
Do you like the above scenario? I love it. So, how do we get there?
The key here is to think of your professional network as a group of non-best friends2. Won’t you reach out to your friends when you are in need, with no qualms? Or at least not as much as reaching out to a stranger?
Who are they?
Find people who are eager to change the world or those whose values align with yours. One framework to consider is the 3 pillars of a job - Geography, Industry, and Role.
Develop a relationship with professionals in your Geography.
Develop a relationship with professionals in your Industry.
Develop a relationship with professionals in your Role.3
How do you find them?
Do things that you enjoy which allow you to connect with people. Face-to-face may be better to build a relationship, and therefore In Real Life(IRL) events are better. But digital events take the geography restriction out of the picture and serve as a great medium to find communities of interest(and your soulmate). Some ideas to get you started are below.
Attend industry events
Present at local conferences
Attend or give a talk at the local university
Write about your professional work on LinkedIn, Medium, company blog
When do you “network”?
Just like any good habit4, building your professional brand and group of professional friends is a continuous process. The benefits will compound over time. So develop your own process for "networking" and stick with it.
So, go ahead, and build your professional brand and your professional network group of professional friends.
I had a 2nd-year senior student take me and a couple of friends under his wing, at one of these networking events. We were standing away from the action, wary of ‘networking’. This senior takes us to a group and introduces us as the ‘shy gang’. That will make a great first impression. Thank you, senior!
Eric Barker(author) and Tony Fadell(Nest CEO, team lead behind iPod and iPhone) agree
As a programmer, I have half a mind to not repeat ‘Develop a relationship with professionals in your’. But the emphasis is useful.
like exercise!