Better Recruiting
Yeah, Networking Sucks
Jeff Barson, CEO of NimbleIt, notes how much he loathes networking events:
So you’re really not much good at networking. You keep a drink in one hand and the other [hand?] in a pocket. You stand against walls. You avoid direct eye contact. You pretty much suck at it and since you suck at it you hate doing it. You’re constantly standing around trying to look pretty and hoping that someone you’re interested in meeting will come and talk to you.
Me too.
It’s interesting to watch the dynamics at a networking event. I’ve attended many but there’s often a sense of being disassociated from the main conversations. The worst are the hard sellers…
Maybe that’s why he started fightclub a local CEO networking group of his own…
Though going to an event to network should be only 10%-20% of your total networking time spend, if I find myself at such events, I try to remember three simple things:
- As nervous as I am, or as much as I hate the idea of either “wasting my time” or coming across what Barson dubs a “hard seller”, there is a room full of other people who probably feel the same way. They’re not here to steal my identity, they’re just wanting to meet new people, too. Just smile and say HI. Say, “tell me about yourself” and you’re off to the races.
- When talking to someone, focus on them. If Kofi Annan walks in the room, keep clearly connected to the person speaking to you. Not only is it foolish to try and multitask while networking, it displays the lowest of personal communication skills if you can’t listen and keep eye contact at the same time.
- Remember to “be the bar-tender”: In the most unfriendly, least-sociable bar in the world, the bar-tender is still chatted up by everybody. Oddest thing? She charges money for people to talk to her. The key? People know why a bar-tender is there. They give her what she wants, she gives them what they want (a listening ear, but most-importantly… a drink).
The easiest way for me to encapsulate all of these is to think: “what valuable skill can I discover about this person that nobody else in this room will know?” OR “what can I do for this person that would be easy for me, but maybe nobody else in this room can or will?”
Then, you’ll walk out of the room with some business cards, but more importantly, the beginnings of real relationships.
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