Have We Met Before?

Someone worthy of your time

There’s little argument that networking is an indispensable tool in your job search arsenal. That being said, how many people benefit from a networking event by having “networking conversations”? The most valuable components of networking are the genuine conversations and the rock-solid relationships that follow.

If you expect to meet someone at a networking event who has an opportunity perfectly suited for you, chances are that you’ll be mostly disappointed. Likewise you’ll be let down if you approach networking as a series of mini-interviews.

Measuring networking success

Networking success is grounded in real people having real conversations, forging meaningful – and mutually beneficial – relationships.

How to achieve this lofty ambition? Should you portray yourself as a confident, assertive and knowledgeable job seeker? Or should you just be yourself?

In the end we have to be genuine. We have to be ourselves. The old saying rings true: people hire people.

Yet, we’ve all encountered the disingenuous networkers. You know the ones. Their eyes are continually darting around room surveying their next victims. They look at your name tag and ask for your business card before they look you in the eye – or even look at your face. They’re more interested in what you are as a contact as opposed to who you are as an individual. They don’t have conversations; they’re simply collecting data.

In the end, simple is better. Approach people as people, not contacts. That’s true networking. That’s successful networking.

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