The Power of Networking
Submitted by Carissa on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 12:30
Networking has become very powerful in my life. We all should realize that networking is a life skill, not just something you do when you want something. Don't shut everyone out of you life, make strong connections and stay in touch.
Things just fall into place easier if you are constantly open to meeting new people or having a friendly conversation with strangers.
Here are a few experiences that I have had with networking
1. How I landed a job at a top advertising agency right out of college.
I always wanted to working for Saatchi & Saatchi because they are based in Torrance where I reside. I had no idea what I would do there, I just knew I wanted to work there. I told everyone that I wanted to work there. Conversations happened and my friend's brother's friends worked there. (Random) We met for coffee. She ended up getting me a job there a couple months later. Voila!
2. How I become a featured blogger for this site.
My dad somehow connected to the CEO of this site via LinkedIn. I still don't know the full story of how that happened. He wrote an email to my sister and I, saying that we should link up with her since she was a go-getter and internet savvy. I found her on Facebook, we met her for coffee, and now I'm having a blast being a part of TheOnlineGrapevine as we feed business/internet tips off of each other. It's inspiring.
Networking really increases this saying "When one door closes, another one opens."
When you are good at networking, as one door closes, three doors open.
It is important to always connect people with with the right contacts, send thank you letters, and always return favors.
Networking is a life skill and anyone can be good at it.
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Comments
Wow! Such negative
Wow! Such negative comments!
Did you know that the Huffington Post does not pay its bloggers? Would you say that what they've done for online journalism isn't impressive?
And for the record, I'm not Oprah or Hilary Clinton or anyone of mainstream renown. But I've got a story. And a view. And if you don't like it, you don't have to read it. I guess I'm just one of those people who are really open minded when it comes to getting to know all types of people. I want to hear stories that haven't been heard before and experiences from real people.
Also, there's a way to constructively criticize and there's a way to just rant and bring people down. I'll take the criticism but not the latter of the two.
Carissa... you always cause quite a stir when you blog;)
These are the best examples
These are the best examples of networking you could come up with? We aren't given any insight as to how successful you are at your job, or even why you wanted that specific job. And getting pro-bono work as a blogger for your friend's site isn't exactly impressive.
Seriously, why not spend 5 minutes on wikipedia and give some more interesting examples. Just look up a few famous people and you should find a slew of stories far more profound than your own.
And just to play devil's advocate for a minute- should people really be hired based on who their friends are? Companies aren't allowed to discriminate for a host of reasons (eg. age, sex, race, weight), so why is this any different? Maybe there wouldn't be so many bad movies these days, if actors, writers and directors would be hired based on talent. Maybe fewer companies would be struggling in this economy if they placed an emphasis on skill levels the way Google does.
So True
Networking is absolutely an essential skill to have. One important lesson I've been taught is that it is important to make the connections before you need them. You don't want to meet someone and then turn around and ask for a job or a favor right away. If you make a meaningful connection with someone and they remember who you are and what you do, when the time is right they will know they can turn to you and vis versa.
Everyone should have a 30 second elevator pitch about themselves. You never know when it will come in handy...
Ditto!
You're so right about networking beforehand! And an elevator pitch is ALWAYS handy!
Whoever gave you two stars is
Whoever gave you two stars is a bad networker :(
not necessarily
This blog doesn't exactly provide great insight or even much input on networking. It merely provides simple examples of the writers experience in networking. In the rating system, one star means "Eh, I've read better" and two stars means, "This is so-so." How does someone commenting on the quality of the blog make them a bad networker?