In June of 2005, I experienced an event that was simultaneously one of the most painful times of my life and also one of the biggest opportunities for personal growth (isn’t that always the way?)
I got laid off.
It was a sucker punch to the gut. Fear of financial insecurity came barreling at me, and any confidence I might have had vanished into the ether.
This, coupled with my borderline social anxiety, was a potent combination.
Because instinctively, I knew that the one thing I really, really, really didn’t want to do was the thing that was going to propel me forward and help me find a job.
Networking.
People often assume (incorrectly) that I’m an extrovert. I’m actually highly (highly!) introverted, and reaching out to people is often uncomfortable.
So it was with this wonderful mindset that I embarked on a job search.* 🙂
Here’s what I learned pretty quickly.
- I am a really good networker.
- Networking was a boon to my self-esteem. I started to see myself as others saw me, and my confidence slowly came back.
- I knew more than I thought I did. Being ensconced in an organization for so long left me with an inaccurate view of my skills and abilities. Talking to others shone a light on what I had to offer potential employers.
- Networking gave me a focus and added structure to my week. If you’ve ever sat at home obsessively checking emails or waiting for the phone to ring, you know this is a lousy strategy.
- Building on my anemic network gave me access to people, information, ideas, and new perspectives.
And networking led me to my next job.
In fact, EVERY job I’ve ever held (and I’ve been working since I was 13), including all of my consulting and coaching work in the last 7.5 years, has been a direct result of networking.
I’ll let that sink in for a moment.
With that, let’s look at the benefits of networking. Besides helping you land a job (obvs.), how else could you benefit from networking?
Networking can help you:
- Feel more connected
- Grow personally and professionally
- Increase productivity
- Build your skill-set
- Increase motivation and engagement
- Increase confidence
- Build your personal brand
Sounds great, right?
But there are only 168 hours in the week, and if you’re like many of my clients, you probably have a hectic job, families, and other commitments.
You may have adopted a “head’s down” approach trying to “get it all done.” And let networking fall by the wayside.
Because if you’re already exhausted and tapped out, even thinking about networking can start to feel like death by 1,000 papercuts.
Lucky for you, I’m a big proponent of keeping things simple. (Except when I cook. Someday, I’ll post a picture of my kitchen mayhem. The antithesis of simple…)
I’m here to tell you, you don’t need a project plan or Gantt chart to pull off networking and reap the rewards.
What you do need is some level of consistent action. I don’t believe in one size fits all. This will look different for everyone – find something that works for you.
Here’s your call to action: Think of someone in your network that you haven’t spoken with in over a year, then reach out.
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