Networking? "Nobody will want to speak to me, I am out of a job!”
France du Buisson, founder of FDB Associates, provides a comforting response.
The idea of networking is intimidating enough for many – but it can feel even more difficult for people who have just lost their job.
To answer this frequent worry, let’s first consider what networking is. Or rather what it is not: Networking is not what most people think. It is not asking for a job! It should be on the contrary an informal conversation and people very often “network” without realising it.
Networking is in fact talking about what interests you, a new industry you’d like to work in, a specific company, a charity that inspires you, a kind of activity that you enjoy carrying out. In saying that, I am not implying a business discussion, I am hinting at any life situation in which we talk to people… it could be talking to your neighbour, to parents of your children’s friends, to a fellow coordinator in your local mutual aid group. In these cases, it is a casual conversation where you exchange views or ideas and which may lead to a discussion with somebody else.
When you contact that other person, you should be very clear about the purpose of your meeting. It could be for example to discuss their views about a particular topic or the culture of a company. You are not asking for a job, you are listening to the information or advice shared. In that, you do not bother them – on the contrary, you make them feel useful. And what is intimidating about making people feel good?
You may argue that it is all well making them feel good, but the issue is that at the moment, you feel rather rejected or at least not particularly useful – and it is understandable.
In our webinars on networking, we suggest at that point to look back on your last job and count all your successes; we even talk about your personal Hall of Fame! With this exercise, people have the proof that they actually have a lot to offer and their experience and skills are relevant for the next role they would like to secure; the networking then becomes an exciting conversation between 2 people equally interested in the same areas or topics.
It is also important and helpful to acknowledge that redundancies are the result of financial difficulties or corporate restructuring that have nothing to do with individual capabilities or results. And if you have lost your job due to the pandemic, people will not criticise you but on the contrary try to help.
Couple your emerging shift in attitude towards networking with the new reality of remote working as well as the cooperation and empathy that we see nowadays and you have an environment much more conducive to networking and less intimidating. Why?
In our webinars, we debate this question and these are a few reasons that are quite rightly mentioned:
Conferences and industry networking events have moved online, which is less intimidating; you do not have to “enter the room on your own with all those unfamiliar faces judging you”
People have more time, they do not have to commute
You also do not have to plan a potentially costly commute; a virtual meeting or a telephone call is easy to set up and to accept.
People have enjoyed rediscovering their local communities and that creates many opportunities to talk – respecting the distancing requirements of course
People are much happier to help; have you received messages on LinkedIn, like this one below with an offer to help? This highlights the importance of LinkedIn as a networking tool and the readiness of people to help.
My parting comment now that we have demystified networking is – as always – be prepared!!
Make sure to practice your positioning and exit statements and to identify the skills and experience that make you stand-out. You will also feel more confident.
But also, be prepared to give something back to the person who will share their knowledge with you, it might be the name of a reliable supplier or an app that is really useful …. You will be remembered as a kind and helpful person to know – regardless of whether you have a job at this moment or not.
So, what are you waiting for? … connect with us on social media now and start networking!
We’d be very happy to #helpufindajobfaster .
If you want some support to develop your networking strategy, or you know somebody who would benefit from our advice, our Networking webinars run each week, at different times of the day (and in the evening) to help as many people as possible