Ok, sorry for the lack of content lately…just getting back from a week in London meeting my team there. It was a great trip, tons of fun in an amazing city but more importantly it got me thinking about the importance of networking. I know I talk about networking a lot in this blog but really I can’t talk about it enough. Networking will change your personal and professional life like you never imagined. You’ll have to wait for the “Jeff Moore – The life and times of a recruiting knucklehead” book for personal stories about networking but here are a few thoughts/lessons that really hit home during this trip.
1) Find like-minded people, and ENGAGE with them – A few years ago I went to an event called truBoston which was a recruiting event in town. There I met a bunch of folks via Bill Boorman (@BillBoorman) like Mark Babbitt (@YouTernMark), Johnny Campbell (@socialtalent) and Mike Vangel (@MikeVangel). What was great then and is still great today is that those folks are engaged and really pushing the envelope in my field. We met at an event, engaged and I’m still learning from them today. Kick ass.
2) Networking takes time and effort – Prior to about 2008, honestly, I HATED networking and didn’t really find most other recruiting folks to be that interesting. Seriously, I was pretty sure I knew my shit and didn’t need to network to get better. Um wrong. You may remember that September when the world fell apart, well for me, everything changed. TONS of my colleagues and friends were laid off a looking for work…..I was fortunate to have a great job but people came to ME for help….and my network sucked. Long story short, I realized it was time to buck up and get out there. Without a great network I was just another recruiter and eventually would find myself needing to network. Hence this blog, my tweets, the hundreds of networking coffees and phone calls since.
3) Pay it Forward - The best kind of networking is when you help someone accomplish their goals....NOT just a one way street for your own advancement. So, pay it forward. That’s right, help people out and then w/ a little luck and karma when you need help....your network will be there for you.
4) In person matters - This might seem like common sense, but meeting people in person matters. There is nothing quite like having a conversation face to face. I spent a little time last week with some old Google colleagues, nothing better than having a beer and catching up on things. It’s hard today in the global world we live but finding time to meet people in person will pay for itself in spades.
5) Keep it going - Last point but perhaps the most important. Once you get yourself networking and building relationships it’s important to keep it going. Keep meeting new people, expand existing relationships and push the envelope. You’re never done networking....ever.
Ok, that’s it for now. I’ll try to get another post out later this week. Good luck with things this week!
