Networking for People who Hate Networking

Networking is important for at least two critical reasons:

[a] the research suggests that the majority of the jobs in our field are not posted but become known through networking;

[b] the research suggests that an emerging competence for leaders is their ability to develop their network, through special projects, temporary assignments and community involvement, among others.

There is a plethora of well-recommended books to help, from

How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships, by Leil Lowndes (McGraw-Hill, 2003),

to those that seem written especially for librarians:

The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World,  by Marti Olsen Laney (Workman, 2002) and

Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed and the Underconnected, by Devora Zack (Berrett-Koehler, 2010).

Of course you should

Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty, The Only Networking Book You’ll Ever Need, by Harvey Mackey (Currency Books, 1999)

and if in doubt, get

Networking: All-in-One for Dummies, by Doug Lowe (For Dummies; 4th edition, 2010) or

The Networking Bible, by Barrie Sosinsky (Wiley, 2009).

Personally, I prefer

Work The Pond: Use the Power of Positive Networking to Leap Forward in Work and Life, by Darcy Rezac, Judy Thompson and Gayle Hallgren-Rezac (Prentice Hall, 2005), for its focus on the positive and its straightforward advice. The authors, whom I now know (through networking!) also walk the talk.

Here is the essence:

NETWORK:

N–Never Leave Home Without Them (meaning business cards, the key transaction);

E–The Four Es: Establish eye contact, Extend your hand, Exchange business cards, Engage in conversation;

T–Travel in Pairs(it is just easier and more comfortable);

W–Working the Pond, Positively (it is all about what you can do for the other person, not about you);

O–Opportunity is Everywhere (believe it!);

R–Repeat, Repeat, Repeat;

K–Keep it Going (practice breeds comfort with success).

The authors also have a website http://www.workthepond.com/ and a weekly tip on networking. Get it delivered fee to your mailbox:  http://www.workthepond.com/tips/