{"id":45404,"date":"2018-09-25T03:19:08","date_gmt":"2018-09-25T10:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=45404"},"modified":"2018-09-25T03:19:08","modified_gmt":"2018-09-25T10:19:08","slug":"networking-that-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/networking-that-works\/","title":{"rendered":"Networking that works"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Does everyone keep telling you that the key to a successful career is to have great networks?<\/p>\n

Well, I hate to be the one to say it again, but it\u2019s true. Having great networks makes working life \u2013 and research life in particular \u2013 much, much easier and more fun.<\/p>\n

Where I diverge from much of the common rhetoric, however, is that I\u2019m not a proponent of elevator pitches, speed-dating formats, or indeed networking events overall.<\/p>\n

There are as many myths about networking circulating as there are gurus who will tell you that must network, network, NETWORK (at that $1000-a-table gig they are organising\u2026).<\/p>\n

I hate networking events. In fact, I\u2019ve managed to dodge most badged networking events in my career thus far. I even avoid conference dinners at conferences I have convened \u2013 usually by not scheduling a conference dinner.<\/p>\n

Is all this because I\u2019m actually that anti-social?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, sometimes it is (yeah, I\u2019m that person), but mostly it\u2019s because I\u2019m not a fan of events that foreground their raison d\u2019etre as getting people to network. Because it\u2019s the worst way to get people to network, and not a lot of networking actually happens at these networking events.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t believe me because you think I\u2019m incredibly biased against networking gigs? That\u2019s cool, because I\u2019m not the one who said it (as much as I wanted to)! Many others have, and the\u00a0Harvard Business Review<\/em>\u2018s David Burkus even tells you to\u00a0skip that networking event<\/a>:<\/p>\n

The problem with networking events is that there\u2019s no bigger purpose other than just having conversations with people, and without that bigger purpose \u2014 without that high-stakes activity \u2014 there\u2019s little incentive to move beyond conversations that make us comfortable. When the stakes are higher, however, we end up needing more than what existing contacts and similar-seeming people can provide. So, we push further to meet more diverse people.<\/em><\/p>\n

Further, Burkus states that \u201cyour most valuable contacts are actually the people you already know\u201d (Networking myths dispelled<\/a>). Burkus\u2019 take on the networking palaver makes a lot of sense to me. I am exactly that person who takes on projects and gets involved with things for a bigger purpose. In many cases, these activities lead to other things because working side by side with someone gives you an excellent window into what that person would be like as a research collaborator, mentor or mentee, or if they are someone you would recommend for stuff later (e.g. as a job applicant, consultant, guest speaker). You get to see how they deal with others, their modes of communicating, and the way their work practices may align with yours. These days, I do most of my networking through social media channels or other \u2018softer\u2019 modes \u2013 never at networking events.<\/p>\n

Overall, I think my networks are good: strong where they need to be, with a healthy spread of weak ties across many academic communities.\u00a0I\u2019ve been in positions in the course of my career where I\u2019ve created opportunities and been approached to recommend people for opportunities.<\/p>\n

So, let me know flip things around a bit. The coveted end-point of all this networking for researchers is to be known enough to be recommended to others, and be approached for career and scholarly opportunities. I thought it\u2019d be interesting for someone like me, who\u2019s not a typical networker or big socialiser, to reflect on what would prompt me to recommend someone for an opportunity. What kind of experience would I need to have had with that person? What is the vibe I\u2019d need to be getting from them?<\/p>\n

Rarely is it a single personality trait that stands alone \u2013 usually, it\u2019s a blend of personality and expertise, and what I know of the way a person works. This latter point is the hardest to ascertain and the strongest motivator for me to recommend. As with most people, I am super-happy to recommend people I know will do a good job. Recommendations reflect on my ability to make good judgements and this, in turn, builds my reputation as someone who can be trusted and whose opinion is worth something.<\/p>\n

Below is my short list of three reasons why you\u2019d float to the top of my recommendation list.<\/p>\n

Authentic manner<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I know when someone\u2019s working a crowd, doing that glad-handing thing. This is true whether we\u2019re talking a physical room or on a social channel. I find no value in being part of that audience. I don\u2019t know what that person thinks they\u2019re getting from the glad-handing, but I know I\u2019m getting nothing but irritation. I have consultants who approach me for work with my institution all the time. Their manner counts for all \u2013 do I feel they\u2019re trying to \u2018sell\u2019 me something? Do they really get what our work is about? Can they see why we might be sceptical of their offerings (and how do they deal with that)?<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t pretend to be something\/someone you\u2019re not. Approach honestly. Be genuine. Don\u2019t over-promise. It counts when you\u2019re dealing with someone like me. A lot.<\/p>\n

Smart, not smug<\/strong><\/h4>\n

There\u2019s confidence and there\u2019s arrogance.\u00a0They aren\u2019t the same thing<\/a>. I love confident, smart people who listen well, are willing to learn, and admit mistakes. For me, people who act like they know all the things and are always right (that is, arrogant) are kryptonite. For me, it often feels like an extended, somewhat tedious performance that no-one really wants to watch. I know I don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

I would never recommend someone I thought had smug vibes.<\/p>\n

Get things done<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A big part of why I\u2019d recommend someone for a role or project is because I know they are doers. They\u2019re folks I know who follow through, or keep in touch and communicate about delays\/derailments. I see them coming up with fabulous ideas and seeing these through to getting people together, landing funding, publishing in some form, or motivating others to act. It\u2019s not that they\u2019re doing 100 things at once \u2013 that\u2019s not what I\u2019m talking about. It\u2019s that they take things on, are accountable for that task\u2019s responsibilities, and create good outcomes from whatever it is.<\/p>\n

With these three aspects, I\u2019d recommend people if I knew of these traits\u00a0directly or indirectly<\/em>. Granted, there are only a handful of people whose judgement I trust enough to take their word to recommend someone I\u2019ve never met or worked with. But it\u2019s often the case that I\u2019ll recommend someone or an organisation I may know a bit through Twitter or Facebook, about whom others I trust wax lyrical.<\/p>\n

Executive summary: be real, be smart and not annoying, make things happen.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it. Network away!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Does everyone keep telling you that the key to a successful career is to have great networks? Well, I hate to be the one to say it again, but it\u2019s true. Having great networks makes working life \u2013 and research life in particular \u2013 much, much easier and more fun. Where I diverge from much […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":45405,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[7679],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-45404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-higher-education","tag-networking"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNetworking that works - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/networking-that-works\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Networking that works - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Does everyone keep telling you that the key to a successful career is to have great networks? 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