by Ashley
I have never been good at networking. I don’t know why because I’m friendly and personable. I think I feel like networking is akin to pushing myself on someone – which its not at all! I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some sex difference with this and women are worse than men (since there are lots of studies – and a whole book, if you’ve read Lean In – about how women are generally more deferential in a workplace than men).
Anyway, my wheels have been turning ever since this post, where several of you commented that I should be keeping in regular contact with my contract positions regardless (not just when there hasn’t been work for awhile). Around the same time I read a blog post from one of my favorite “healthy living” bloggers (If you’re into that genre – check out Caitlin’s blog!). She has made a career out of writing (3 published books, multiple freelance articles, etc.), and gave some tips about her freelance career. To be clear, I am not a freelance writer, but having several contract based positions feels similar to me in some aspects, so I got some gold nuggets of wisdom from her post.
One thing Caitlin said is that most of her jobs come from connections and referrals.
Me, too!!! (both my current jobs are from connections)
Another thing Caitlin said that resonated with me was that she tries to keep in contact with more than one person per place. That’s because someone can always leave so if your connection moves to another company, then you’ve lost your “in.”
I’ve been thinking about these things and have generally started trying to be better at keeping in touch with people from my current jobs. I think that I have a personality that I feel like when I send emails I want to be direct and brief. I feel like people are busy and want to get on with their day so I don’t want to inject a bunch of “how ya doing?” and “hows the family?” into my emails. But the fact of the matter is, I think it helps to have somewhat of a personal connection. Don’t get me wrong – I didn’t dive right in with “So, tell me about yourself! Single? Married? How many kids?” But I’ve been sprinkling in personal pieces of information about myself and have seen an increased divulgence on my contacts’ parts, also. Instead of strictly business, I now know that my main contact from University B has a daughter who goes to camp right on the university site (very convenient for the parent). I have also made additional contacts from University A aside from my one primary contact who got me the position.
Then things just started snowballing and I’ve engaged in increasing amounts of shameless networking.
I reached out to a contact from my alma mater and volunteered myself, should they ever need an online instructor there. Why have I never done this before? These are people I know well (I spent 4 years there). Why have I never thought to even reach out and offer myself? It was so easy (no job from it yet, but its easy networking!)
I also recently applied for a “traditional” academic position. In researching the faculty in the department, I discovered that one faculty member was in grad school at the same place/same time as a faculty member from my alma mater. This isn’t someone I worked directly with, but we know each other well so I reached out to the faculty and asked her to make a contact for me (basically “introduce us”), and put in a good word. Turns out this person isn’t on the hiring committee, but it still never hurts. We’ve now emailed back and forth a bit and she actually told me a good bit about the interviewing process, so if I make it that far I’ll certainly feel more prepared.
And, finally, I recently saw a position posted for another online part-time position. This one is for an editor of an academic journal (not the Editor-in-Chief, this would be a supporting editor position). The journal’s content is right in my area of expertise and I’ve even met the Editor-in-Chief a handful of times at various conferences and such. Instead of simply submitting an application, I sent Editor-in-Chief a personal email along the lines of, “you probably don’t remember me, but I’ve worked with A and B, and we’ve met a couple times at Y and Z, and blah blah blah.” I asked a question about the position but the real purpose of the email (to me), was to make that personal connection and get him to remember my name.
Now, none of these things have come to fruition yet. So this isn’t a success story like, “Look at me! I networked and landed this big job!” Instead, it’s more of an “I’m learning, and I have the faith that this will eventually pay off in one avenue or another.”
Also, after I got over the initial fear-factor, its way easier than I had imagined. So if anyone else was like me and afraid of networking because you felt like you were pushing yourself on someone – don’t feel that way! After you do it a couple times, it actually becomes easy and now it just feels routine!
But I’m certainly no expert, so I can still use your tips!
What are other ways that you network? I like the connection aspect (having a connection introduce us, or mentioning a common contact). What if it’s a “cold call” so to speak. For instance, I have a job I really want to apply for in a department where I know no one and have no connections. How do you get your foot in the door? Just start emailing people with similar research interests??? (you can do research online to find peoples’ research interests). Is there a “proper” way for this to be done so it doesn’t come across as pushy? Would you target multiple people or only one person initially?
So.much.to.learn!
Hi, I’m Ashley! Arizonan on paper, Texan at heart. Lover of running, blogging, and all things cheeeeese. Freshly 40, married mother of two, working in academia. Trying to finally (finally!) pay off that ridiculous 6-digit student loan debt!
Good for you! It’s so fun to watch you grow through this blog in so many ways! Your posts are so inspiring!
For networking I try to read one new paper in my field a day and think of two or three questions. After thinking about the questions (more neurotically than I should), I email either the first or last author ask them my questions and then tell them a little bit about why I’m interested in this topic and what I research. It was really hard at first but they were either flattered by genuine interest in their research or they just never emailed me back. I do the same when I go to a lecture and I keep a list of topics with research interests and email people for their insights on new publications in their field.
I’d like to hear more on this topic as you grow into it. The sprinkling personal info is a great idea that I’m definitely going to try.
What a fabulous idea! And so easy since authors have contact info listed on their articles! I really appreciate these tips! If this is something people are interested in, I’d certainly be happy to write more on this topic down the road!
Good for you! Networking does work although often in ways you don’t expect – meaning the work that comes your way may be from the network of the person you were in contact with and not directly from them. When I was working I got the best and longest consulting job ever from talking to someone on a short plane ride (and then lots of follow up). I got a part time teaching job after talking to someone who was getting their hair cut at the same salon. It goes on and on. The main suggestion is to not expect direct or immediate results, ask them who else you should be getting to know and don’t take lack of interest/rejection personally.
Wow – that’s crazy! Definitely something for me to consider! Even though I started the post by saying I was friendly, I certainly tend to keep to myself in those situations (e.g., plane ride, hair cut). I’m the one listening to my iPod or reading the whole way rather than talking. I’ll have to branch out a little! Thanks for the insight!
I do have to say that the person in the hair salon was reading a journal in my field – it wasn’t just random conversation. Still …
It’s so true! Once you start networking and putting yourself out there, people start to help you. I read a long time ago that if you never ask, you will never know. This principle works the same with networking I find. Instead of trying to sell yourself, I try to use this strategy. “Do you know anyone who could use my services? I would appreciate if you passed along my information!” or “Did you enjoy my services? I would appreciate if you referred someone in your group who would also enjoy/need my help!” Women especially are good at this and seem to want to help more than men if you just ask! I also recommend getting involved with a women’s networking group! Check out http://www.diamonddollsnetwork.com too!
Never heard of this networking group! Thanks for the tip!
The key to networking is just creating relationships. It is difficult and awkward to start, but I found keeping that in mind helps. You do want to create relationships with people who can help you, but also look for people you can help. That give and take is what strengthens your networking relationships.
For cold calling, it’s easier if you approach it as just a get-to-know-you conversation. If they’ve written a paper that inspired you, I would use that as a jumping point. If they were part of an event and you went to that event, use that. Cold calls generally don’t work on their own, but if you show that you did take the time to research and show that you’re reaching out to Person A because of XYZ (and not simply because they’re Person A), you have a much better chance of a response and creating a relationship.
Reach out to multiple people, but know *why* you’re reaching out to those people. The key to successful networking is creating quality relationships, so just keep that in mind when you speak with people.
These are some great ideas! Putting the extra thought into it (by explaining why you’re reaching out, and not simply mass-reaching out at random) definitely makes sense. A little more leg-work up front but hopefully more beneficial in the end!
It definitely takes more time and effort, but people know that and it’s flattering to know that someone went that extra mile before reaching out. I’ve only been networking for about a year, but I’ve had the best response when I personalize the message.