19 February 2010
By Maggie Berry
I’m a networker. I love meeting new people, connecting people and being able to help people out. However the word ‘networking’ often fills many people with dread – whether it’s fear of approaching people you don’t know, lack of time or simply not knowing what to do, many people tend to dismiss the idea. At the same time though, we all network in some way. It’s not just about attending networking events, as great as they can be; it’s about communication, through email, phone or through social media like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Networking is useful for your personal life – it helped me when I moved to London not knowing many people and provided me with a great recommendation when I was re-doing my kitchen! But more importantly it’s also an essential career tool. Your promotion or next career move may lie in the hands of someone you could be engaging and networking with.
“Why should I bother networking?” – To pick up valuable information, broaden your perspectives, find a mentor and to get advice from / connect with people in a similar position to you. It’s also a great sales tool to show people your capabilities and it’s a way for you to help people who may then be able to help you some day. Remember that your network doesn’t just consist of those people you know but their contacts too – a friend of a friend may come in handy.
“But I don’t know what to do!” - Think about what you want to achieve, from who, and how. You want to meet people who could help you, so perhaps colleagues, competitors or other professionals in your sector. However at the same time don’t dismiss those that you don’t think can help you straight away, as you never know when they may be a useful contact. Think about what they could provide for you and vice versa as networking is about giving as well as taking a look at different types of networking events and decide which is the best for you.
“Have you got any networking tips?” - When it comes to face to face networking make sure you look the part, and be aware of body language – smile and approach people to invite people to talk to you. Have a few opening questions ready to start the conversation and be interesting and listen. Most importantly make sure you follow up by sending an email for example – this will make sure you maximise on networking opportunities and don’t instantly forget each other. Also use social networking to keep in touch with contacts old and new.
Networking takes time and is an ongoing process that allows you to share ideas and information. But it can be hugely beneficial and it’s a tool that no professional can ignore. Give it a go – good luck!
Maggie Berry, Managing Director, womenintechnology.co.uk
Simon Smith19 February 2010 at 08:41 PM
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Maggie wrote: "at the same time don’t dismiss those that you don’t think can help you straight away, as you never know when they may be a useful contact." Good advice, but the problem comes when this attitude isn't reciprocated. Networking involves power, and the early career researcher is usually (if not always) in the inferior position in terms of power vis-a-vis the person they wish to network with (the one who can help their career or research). At that stage it's easy to put your advice into practice, but how do we ensure that we all retain that attitude as we rise up the hierarchy...?
Hannah Dee20 February 2010 at 11:18 AM
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Interesting point Simon. I think that post-docs can be put in a disadvantaged position for networking - we don't (often) get business cards, and sometimes we don't get a web presence, particularly if we're on short contracts. But I do think it's important to get your name out there and get recognised (at conferences and the like). When looking for jobs it's particularly useful if you've got contacts around the field - despite jobs.ac.uk and the various other lists, I still find myself hearing about upcoming vacancies through word of mouth.
Blanka Sengerová20 February 2010 at 07:48 PM
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>> Hannah You can solve the problem of a lack of a web presence by setting up a simple profile on academia.edu, which is a US site but seems to be spreading into Europe. It also has a feature that tells you when someone searched for you on google and clicked through to your site. I haven't got a business card myself, but these days it is so easy to design one that maybe you could consider doing that yourself if you feel disadvantaged by not having one to hand out at conferences?
Blanka Sengerová20 February 2010 at 07:57 PM
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>> And another one for Hannah :o) Your web presence certainly seems good enough. Googling "Hannah Dee" comes up with your homepage/blog as the first in the results list! Indeed, having a blog is something that I need to consider doing but I never feel there would be much to talk about that I would want to share with the whole world rather than just a few friends. Any thoughts on this as a networking opportunity?
Tennie Videler22 February 2010 at 07:11 AM
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Thanks Maggie for this post. Networking is a funny one to me- the idea of purposefully meeting people with the aim of getting something out of it doesn't sit well with me, yet I 'network' all the time..... I reckon the key might be in what you mentioned about enjoying helping people out. Simon and Hannah, do you think the perceived problem about 'networking up' may be universal and not confined to academia, let alone research staff level? And don't forget there are lots and lots of people that you are already in a 'superior' position to- are you giving junior members of research staff, doctoral students and undergraduates the benefit of your experience and network? And outside academia you could be incredibly valuable in public engagement or as a school governor (examples from my own experience, from whch I learned a lot). You probably already do a lot of this sort of thing, but maybe hadn't considered it networking..
Tennie Videler22 February 2010 at 07:13 AM
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Blanka- yes, this blog was set up with one of the aims to be a networking opportunity and I think you're doing great at it! Thanks for all your contributions
Oliver Harris25 February 2010 at 12:20 PM
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Sorry to be a damp squib, but I find this whole conversation all a bit depressing. I’m not a networker, I don’t enjoy meeting new people, and much of the time I don’t even enjoy meeting old acquaintances. I have restricted social skills, and although I can just about keep my personal social life on track to my own satisfaction, the idea of exploiting social interaction to further professional ends is absolute anathema to me. Although I count as an early career researcher, I’m actually in my 50s, having taken my PhD as a mature student in my 40s. Before that, I was in a more mainstream professional career, and one of the reasons I dropped out of it was disillusionment at seeing how often decisions were being taken, not on the merits of the case, but on the strength of behind-the-scenes, pre-meeting ear-bending; how often jobs were filled by friends-of-friends rather than through genuine open competition; and how often individuals of mediocre talent managed to get their way by manipulating those further up the hierarchy. I came into academia with a naive idea that, founded as it is on principles of the objective appraisal of empirical evidence, things might be a bit different. Sadly, not. Please don’t respond to this post with perky messages telling me just to get stuck in, or recommending assertiveness training or the like. I know my strengths, and this isn’t one of them, or ever likely to be. It’s the way things are, and, as I say, I really find it all rather depressing.