More on Networking

09Jun09

I try to strike a balance when networking between the personal and the professional. I hate asking “so where do you work?” but that is almost a given. When I attend the SLA conference in Washington, D.C. I will be sure to also enquire about upcoming exciting projects ahead from people I meet. Or I might ask what has been a memorable highlight in their recent past. Of course the conversation is a 2 way street, and I will mention how I have moved from to different cities and was able to land my dream job.

It will be my first visit to Washington D.C. and I will likely ask about  favourite restaurants, or neighbourhoods and attractions off the beaten path, for an in-depth visit next time. I love to talk about my home town Vancouver to others when I travel, and I am assuming this is a easy neutral topic to start a conversation.

For intermediate networkers, they can use Microsoft Outlook to organize notes like a contact’s hobbies or kids’ names. I can’t take credit for that tip and don’t remember where I read it. I also don’t like to indiscriminately give away business cards. I will have a handful to pass out to potential contacts. Networking is another word for having a conversation about our profession. Ultimately the cumulative effect of the conversations is renewing my commitment to a great and innovative tradition of helping others.

– Brenda

Further Reading:

Networking and E-Commerce: Get to It and Stay at It by Michael Lear-Olimpi (E-Commerce Law & Strategy, Vol. 25 No. 9 January 2009) p. 5

Networking for the non-networker by Robert Half Management Resources (Found on July 12, 2009)

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Tags: Networking