Career networking with a purpose

Networking is work

The first step is to approach networking itself as a job. That means strategically choosing where and when to network and then actually showing up for work.

“The job seeker can’t check a box marked ‘industry networking event’ and then decide not to attend a second or third such event that week because they don’t have to,” says Marcia Finberg, MBA, MA, co-captain of a job support group called Tempe Career Network and board member at the Keogh Foundation. Missing an event is akin to missing a day of work, and the consequences can feel harsh if you miss that golden opportunity simply because you stayed home.

Your plan must include appearing in person on a regular basis if you want to seal the deal. But, it must also include nurturing relationships online.

“Getting a job is selling,” says Robert Pease, vice president of Marketing at Gist. “You need to build a list of targets, turn them into prospects and work to close (get a job). You don’t close every sale and you won’t get every job, but if you build a pipeline you will not be in an ‘all or nothing’ situation.” In other words, if you don’t land the exact job you aimed for, the odds are good you’ll get a job that is very similar and maybe even better, but you have to aim for a specific type of job in order to end up anywhere near the target.

Start with a plan

Think about it this way: meetings, mixers, events and social media are all tools. You need a strategy so you’ll know the best way to use them.

“To attempt to network in real life or via social media platforms without at least a basic tactical plan is like arriving at the job interview without knowing who you are interviewing with, what the company does or how you will answer questions,” explains Julia Zunich, president of Z Group PR.

Your strategy should not be overly broad, like “find a job,” but specifically focused on the type of job you really want. After that, it’s relatively easy to figure out where you need to look to find the people you need to meet to get that job. A simple Google and social media search can reveal industry associations and events that you’ll likely want to attend as well as particular information on key people you’ll want to meet in-person and friend or follow online.

“One should first try to do online research on key people they want to meet at the event—assuming they can get a list—through social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs and company or personal websites,” says Arden Clise, owner of Clise Etiquette and an etiquette columnist for the Puget Sound Business Journal. “That way you will have information about the person that will make conversation and building rapport easier.”

Synchronize your networking activities

The key to networking is to manage your public persona, both online and offline, in such a way that it is consistently appealing to employers. In other words, your personality online should be perceived as identical to your personality in real life. And whether online or offline, your persona should be polished, discrete and professional, but also engaging and warm.

That is not to say that you can—or should—handle all the forms of networking in the exact same way, however.

“While you want to coordinate your efforts, the two campaigns (online and offline) are quite different,” explains Steven Robbins, CEO of JobTacToe.com and host of the Get-it-Done Guy, an iTunes top-20 business podcast.

“In a social media campaign, you are building a reputation through your content and your interaction. You are essentially training people to become your salesforce, spread the message of you and be on the lookout for good fits,” he says. “With in-person networking, you’re your own salesperson. You have the opportunity to gather information about specific people and help them understand exactly how you can be part of their professional future. Those are very different initiatives.”

Pam Baker is a writer and journalist based in Georgia.