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Never Judge a Book By It’s Cover… The #1 Networking Rule

Here’s a cool little video that describes why there’s no place for snobbery in networking.

In case you don’t have a chance to watch it, the person tells the story of a pink pantsuited, bracelet-jangling big haired blond who comes into a networking room where the marketing executive looks down on her… only to find out that she is personal friends with the one contact he cares about. Hmmm…

In some measure though, we’re all guilty of judging others. Some of that is human nature and we need to fight that every day of our lives. In our career, we need to make sure we have an open mind about how we can help others and how others can help us.

I have heard it over and over again from unemployed people when I suggest they talk to their neighbors. I hear, “they don’t know anyone” or “I’m embarrassed for them to know I’m still out of work” and other lame excuses. Get over it.

Maybe you can help your neighbor. Did you ever consider that? If you tackle networking like it’s a job, where the best scenario is a win/win and the worst scenario is that VERY LITTLE effort is put forth AND the results are lousy. No one said finding a new job is easy whether you currently have a job or not.

If you’re a bit stuck in your search;  find someone else to help. If you’re currently employed; find someone else to help. Choose wisely but help them; with a contact, a few hours of volunteer time, an idea or the best gift ever, listening.

By  Posted on   In Job search, Life Transitions  ,
In my professional life, I never had a job that someone had before me. I didn't look for that, it just happened. I love to read and be outdoors. I have been in marketing for several years but I also have been a teacher, run an information center, licensed a biological product from the Cornell Biotech Institute and brought it almost all the way to market. I like to speak publicly and am a published poet. I work hard to listen to people and be concise in my answers. Looking forward to getting to meet lots of interesting people.
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2 Responses
  • Becky B
    October 18, 2010

    Fabulous. I hear this over and over again: You never know who can help you in your job search, so you’ve got to start talking to everybody. But you’ve got to look at it more as finding job leads and furthering your career rather than asking outright, “Can you get me a job?” That’s an awkward conversation-stopper right there.

    We had a post not too long ago with the exact same title–which just goes to show that you really can’t go into networking with prejudices or preconceived notions. (Here’s the post if you’re interested: http://ow.ly/2V5WJ )

  • KH
    April 24, 2012

    I have been to seminars alot. Sometimes I just wear jeans and polo-T. On these ocassions, none of the sales person talk to me. Even thou I am a decision maker in purchasing their product. When i dress in office wear, there is a few who would approach me. I actually dont mind, considering it to my advantage to decide when i wana talk, decides what I will wear.

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