Networking is nothing new. Even with no concrete evidence to support it, I will confidently make the statement that people have been asking their friends and family for help finding jobs since the days of yore. It therefore makes sense that we're taught the value of networking. Sending us out to hunt and gather business cards, however, is probably the least natural form of networking we could be doing.
If I were someone noteworthy (which I will hopefully be someday), I would be pretty irritated and confused if some self-righteous kids came up to me, handed me a business card and asked for mine in return. Do I have anything in common with this person? Do I have any reason to commit them to memory? If they say they'll email me and I tell them sure, are they really going to do it? To me, it seems awkward and forced, and I'm not going to remember that kid, except maybe as that weirdo whose business card I have and I can't remember why.
Instead, it seems to me that the best networking opportunities are those reminiscent of the days of yore. The times when a friend or family member knows someone you might want to talk to, or when an old boss or supervisor thinks you might work well with one of their friends or colleagues. In this latter scenario, you're approaching your target through someone they know, not just out of the blue. They have a reference point and you have inherent credibility.
I've done a fair share of networking on recent years. In some instances I've gone out hunting and gathering, and in others I've just talked to the people I know.
Hunting and gathering, I've amassed a lot more business cards than I've ever had, largely from PR practitioners who have come to Centennial or been places Centennial has taken/thrown us. How many of these people will actually remember me, though? "Hi, you met me at that intern open house three months ago that had about 60 people in attendance? I was the one with the hair...".
Through people I know, I've come to have a wide-spread net of contacts. Sprouting from my undergraduate realm, I've come to know the editor of the biggest history of science journal, the chief historian at NASA, two physicists, three historians of technology, and two historians and philosophers of biology.
Talking to all of these people, I came with a history and a reason rather than out of the blue with a networking agenda. In my opinion, at least, I prefer the latter. I feel much more comfortable and confident of getting a good connection from it if I meet someone who has a reason to want to talk to me.
Thoughts? Anyone?
(Image: Gemini 6 taken from Gemini 7. Orbital rendezvous is kind of like networking, right? Hey, it's a neat picture! Two crews are meeting in space!)
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