Networking is not fun or sexy to talk about; people have a lot of preconceived ideas about it and even the word can feel plain icky. But what would you say if I told you that there’s a right and wrong way of networking, and doing it the right way can not only be fun but can lead the way to your dream job? You can open up your ideal career entirely by networking, and in today’s episode, I’m going to show you how!
Humans are wired for connection. Even those of us who are introverts need interaction and community, and through networking, you can meet amazing people. Like anything else in life worth having, there is work involved, but once you make the effort, you will reap the benefits and move closer to your dream career.
Join me on the show this week where I’ll tell you why I’m so passionate about niche networking, and show you why your next opportunity is just one conversation away. I’ll share some ways to connect with others and some real-life experiences of how networking has resulted in people securing their dream jobs. If you think you don’t like networking, I guarantee your mind will be changed after hearing this episode!
If you’d like to learn more about networking and get a step-by-step plan containing everything you need to get started, I have a free training resource for you! I cover topics like how to get un-stuck in your career, the mistakes people make when networking, and what you need to be successful when networking for job opportunities. Click here now to get this fantastic resource!
To celebrate the launch of the show, I’m giving away an amazing surprise gift basket filled with all my favorite things to three lucky listeners! It’ll have some headphones, some books I love and some other fun things that I know you’ll love too. Click here to learn more about the contest and how to enter.
What You’ll Learn from this Episode:
- Why networking is like a party.
- How to network authentically, and not just with an agenda.
- The importance of meaningful conversations.
- How to build a network.
- Why you should be networking with people who are like you, but further ahead in their career.
- What a high-intention, low-attachment mindset is, and how you can use it to find your dream job.
- Why so many people go about networking in the wrong way.
Listen to the Full Episode:
SUBSCRIBE FOR WEEKLY INSPIRATION ON
APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY | STITCHER
Featured on the Show:
- To celebrate the launch of the show, I’m giving away an amazing surprise gift basket filled with all my favorite things to three lucky listeners! It’ll have some headphones, some books I love and some other fun things that I know you’ll love too. Click here to learn more about the contest and how to enter.
- If you’d like to learn more about networking and get a step-by-step plan containing everything you need to get started, I have a free training resource for you!
- Check out my YouTube Channel!
- Shapr
Full Episode Transcript:
DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to the Get a Better Job in 30 Days podcast. I’m your host Natalie Fisher. I’m a certified career mindset coach who also happens to love dogs, lattes, and most importantly skipping the small talk and getting right to the conversations that matter. On this podcast, I will coach you on how to use your brain to build a wildly successful career and make a real impact in your industry. If you want to do more than just work for a living, you’ve got to start by making the right decisions now. Are you ready? Let’s go.
Hello, hello my friends. So today, I’m really excited to record this episode number three for you. I have been sick and in the hospital for, well, the week before last, and I’ve just been resting and recovering this week. Turns out I had what could have been a life-threatening illness, but I am good now and I’ve taken the necessary time to recover.
I just want to say thank you to all my clients and my followers for their patience while I haven’t been as active and haven’t been taking calls for the last week. So really just want to say thank you. I have an amazing community and amazing group of people that are super understanding.
And I would encourage you to do the same thing if what happened to me happens to you because life is precious and we really need to take care of ourselves, and that is the number one thing. So thank you, thank you. Excited to dig into today’s topic. We’re going to be talking about niche networking.
So networking is not a fun topic to talk about. It’s not sexy. People don’t like it. And they have a lot of preconceived ideas about it, and I completely understand why, and I’m going to dig into what we can do about it to make it more fun and share some really inspiring stories of how networking is the way to your dream job.
And some strategies that you can use and some ways of thinking about networking that by the end of this episode, I feel like you’re going to be pretty excited about networking. So stick with me because I have got a lot to cover in this episode.
Awesome, so the reason why people don’t like networking and they’re very resistant to this idea is that they’re going about it the wrong way. So it feels icky because of the way that we think about it. So normally, when someone thinks about networking for a job, they think of it in the way of like, oh, I have to talk to people so that I can get something out of it.
So they have an agenda, and it’s very clear in their head. They’re like, okay, I have to talk to as many people as possible so that I can get to the job offer stage so that they can help me get in their view and I can get a job. And when we’re thinking about it in this way, it feels icky because we don’t want to go talk to people knowing that we just want something from them.
Because when you think, oh, I’m going to reach out to this person but really, I don’t care about this person, I just want to reach out to them to see if maybe they can help me get a job, then the way that we show up is going to be asking questions right away. And then if they don’t give us something immediately, we’re going to be like, oh, it doesn’t work.
And I’ve had that happen a lot. My clients will just take the actions, they’ll just do the action steps. So okay, I talked to this person and this person didn’t help me out. They just said go look at this job posting or I don’t know anything right now, I don’t have anything for you right now.
And so they get discouraged quickly, or they decide networking doesn’t work. But that’s because they’re going about it the wrong way. So it’s not a one and done thing. It’s not like you go to the gym one time and then all of a sudden you have your dream body. And it’s not like you eat a healthy meal one time and all of a sudden you are skinny.
You start doing the right steps to lose weight, and in a week, you’re like, why haven’t I lost my 20 pounds? It’s the same with networking. It’s a process and it can be fun. It works. It 100% works. There are so many studies that will show you how networking is the number one way that people get jobs.
And all the studies are different, but the numbers will all show you that networking is the way that people get jobs. And I hear more and more stories every day about this and at the end, I’m going to share three stories about how people that I’ve known and myself have gotten really amazing jobs through networking that we never would have gotten through applying just regularly through the front door and filling out an application.
But it is a process, and there is the right way to do it or the right way to think about it and a wrong way to think about it. And so when it doesn’t work for people, it’s because they’re thinking about it with an agenda. They’ve got a very specific agenda. They’re like, I want to get a job, that’s the only reason I’m talking to this person, and that’s how they show up.
And maybe this person just can’t help them right now, they don’t have anything. And then it’s about not only having those conversations with people but being open to more. So being open and curious. So being curious about the person, so I’m going to get into that.
So what is networking really about? So I want to offer you that it’s not just about trying to talk to as many people as possible to get a job. Because your career is not just about one job, one position. It’s going to be a progression. And that’s something that I invite my clients to do is to think big picture, get them thinking not just what they want to do for their next move right now, but what do they want to be doing in two years, in five years, in 10 years.
Because we always overestimate what we can do in a year, but we completely underestimate what we can do in five years or 10 years. And so with networking, you have the potential to build a network of people right now that could be helping you five to 10 years from now. And the way that you do that, if you make a meaningful connection now, could be the door that opens for you in the next two years, five years, 10 years, and you don’t even know because you’re not focusing your energies on meeting those people now.
So I encourage you to think big picture. I encourage you to think long-term, and not just be thinking about your next move and how can this person help me right now, and if they don’t help me, then this is a waste of time, which is mostly how people approach the topic of networking because they’re mainly coming from I want it to work immediately.
And with everything in life, it’s going to take some work. With anything challenging, anything worthwhile, it’s going to take some effort. And I mean, the effort builds. So you might talk to a lot of people and then all of a sudden, you get one opportunity that leads you to a job. And all those people that you spoke to before, that all led you up to talk to that person.
So you had to go talk to all those people before you got to the person who was going to help you get to the final stages, get the offer, and start working in your dream role. So the more you can do that and the more skillful you can do that, the better and the faster you’re going to do it.
But you have to understand the big picture and the big concept of what networking really is about. And it’s not just about going in there with an agenda and asking questions. So by having a conversation with somebody that’s meaningful, that’s a good conversation, you can achieve so much more than applying for 100 different jobs online through an application system that maybe took you a really long time to apply.
So I had a client one time, I asked him what he had been doing because that’s what’s most important to me. I need to know the facts, the numbers, the very specific actions that people have been taking. So he had told me that he had applied for 100 jobs online. Then he told me that he reached out to 10 people individually.
And I said, okay, what were the results from these actions? He said he got zero interviews from applying for the 100 jobs online and he got six responses from messaging those 10 people. And he hadn’t gotten his dream job yet. He hadn’t gotten the result he wanted yet, but he was continuing to apply online, thinking, well, I got these responses from these six people, I spoke to them, none of them gave me a job offer immediately, so networking doesn’t work.
And for some reason, he was thinking he needed to apply for more jobs online. But the numbers speak very clearly for themselves. So the fact that he was able to get in contact with six people have those conversations, open up that dialogue was so much more meaningful than applying for 100 jobs online.
And that’s what we’re doing. We’re applying for all these jobs online, filling out these applications, getting frustrated when it’s not working, you got to realize that strategy, whatever it is that you’re doing is not working and the answer is not to do more of it.
So networking, you can get very creative with how you reach out to people, you can have so many people to reach out to, there’s an endless amount of people. And I’m going to talk to you about some ways to do that and some strategies of how to find people. And it’s just so much of a bigger world than applying for the limited amount of jobs that are available on the job boards.
So that’s why I advocate so strongly for networking, meaningful, good conversations, and I’m also going to explain in this episode how you can open up those conversations and how it can be fun and how building your network can actually be one of the most life-changing things that you do and one of the most incredible things that actually change you as a person and as a career professional, and isn’t just for the means of getting your next job and just using the person for help.
Because that feels icky, and of course nobody wants to do that. And if you’re thinking about it like that, networking is never going to be something that you take action on or that you do, and that’s how most of us are thinking about it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say to me, “Yeah, I just don’t do networking.”
And I’m thinking, but why not and what have you tried, and exactly how have you approached these conversations? Because it completely works. It is the answer, my friends. So who are you being when you’re connecting with these people? And what I mean by who are you being, I mean how are you approaching it, what are you thinking, and what are you feeling when you reach out to people and when you have these conversations with people.
So one of my clients recently started doing this very, very effectively. And her thoughts behind it were this person looks really interesting to connect with. I’m really curious about this person’s career. I’d really love to talk to this person. Not, oh, I wonder how this person is going to help me get a job. See the difference?
And when you do that, then you can come from a completely different space in the conversation and start opening up a conversation that really matters to you and the other person, and something that they remember and something that you remember, and you just get a completely different feeling around the conversation instead of, oh, well, they didn’t help me, they don’t have anything to offer me so I’m not going to do it because it doesn’t work.
So if we’re being honest, that’s normally how we approach networking and that is why it doesn’t work for you. So that’s the biggest mistake people make is they go into it with an agenda, they want something, and it’s very obvious that they want something and people almost kind of expect this too when they get people reaching out to them. They’re like, oh, this person just wants something.
So when they get to speak to somebody who is genuinely interested in them, who genuinely wants to connect, who asks them good questions, they get thrown off their guard and they are pleasantly surprised and they start to open up and have a different idea of you, and they realize that you’re different. They start to like you; they start to connect with you.
And if something does come up, you’re going to be the first person that they want to genuinely help. But they can’t get to that point if A, you never reach out to them because you are not into networking or B, you reach out to them with a very obvious clear agenda of what you want.
Because when you do that, you show up in a way that really puts them off and they don’t want to help you. So you have to show up in a way where you are curious about them, interested in them, want to have this meaningful conversation with them. And your goal is long-term, to build your network to benefit you and them for your entire career. Not just how can you help me get my next job now. So that’s the biggest mistake.
So next thing I want to talk about is putting in the work to get your dream job through connections and the easiest way to start. So the easiest way to start here is to find people like you. So this is what I mean by niche networking.
So in business, we have niches. So if I’m a businessperson, my niche is career professionals, so you’re my people if you’re already successful, you already have a good job, you know what you’re doing, you’re good at what you do, but you’re just having a bit of an issue selling yourself. Maybe you don’t fully believe in yourself yet or you don’t really understand your own worth or how to explain it to people.
You’re being underpaid, you’re under-earning, but you are already a successful person and you’re highly skilled and you’re highly intelligent. So that’s my niche. So for you, your niche for your niche networking is going to be somebody who is like you. So somebody who is like you but they’re farther ahead.
So say you are a marketing coordinator or a marketing assistant, and you want to move into marketing management, you want to be a marketing director. This is just an example. Say this is what you want to do. So you want to find somebody who has been either doing marketing coordination for a long time in an organization that you like the look of, or they could be a marketing manager, they could have worked in marketing previously. Anything to do with marketing, but they are like you.
So you want to seek out the people who are like you because those are the people who are going to feel compelled to connect with you. Because they have gone through their own journey, and they either wish they had somebody to help them, or they did have somebody who helped them.
So they’re going to understand where you are and they’re going to want to connect with you. Can’t tell you how many clients have found mentors from this networking process that I teach in my one-on-one coaching program. They will find a mentor who really wants to mentor them and help them.
So I had one client who was a data scientist, and he needed to work on a project so we could talk about something in his interviews of something he’d done. And he didn’t have any concrete experience as a data scientist, but he had enough knowledge and skills, and he would be able to do the job, but he needed to have something concrete to talk about.
And he was struggling with this. He found a mentor who really wanted to help him and they met every week, they worked on this project, he completed this project, and he was able to have something concrete to talk about. And that mentor got a lot of satisfaction out of helping my client, and he really wanted to help my client.
So anything is possible when you reach out, you’re open, and you want to have these open conversations with people. You just open up your career entirely. So if my client hadn’t have done that, if he had been like, I’m not really into networking, networking doesn’t work for me, he never would have found this mentor who helped him get to the next step.
And we don’t know how it’s going to exactly unfold for you, but we know that you are going to need to take some steps and you are going to need to have a certain way of thinking around it so that you can take the steps to get to where you want to go. And that’s what I help you within my one-on-one coaching program.
So that’s an example of how something can lead you to another thing. And he did speak to a lot of people also that were not helpful at the moment, in that conversation. He spoke to some people who were very nice, friendly, gave him some good advice, gave him some good information, and then he spoke to some people who – mostly recruiters if I’m being honest, who maybe didn’t make him feel so good about his experience.
So the whole process is going to be some good, some bad. You’re going to get some people who are going to say some things that could potentially trigger you or discourage you, and that doesn’t mean stop. It just means that’s part of the process. So that’s a whole ‘another podcast.
But you are going to have to go through this process, and when you know what to expect and you kind of set yourself up for it, you kind of know what you need to go through in order to get to the end result. And so that’s my whole job is to kind of show you this is the path and guide you through that path no matter what and make sure that you get to the end.
And then things start happening for you as they do for my clients, and you start to see the result unfolding, and you start to have a-ha moments and be like, oh okay, this is how it works. And that’s very exciting, but you’ve got to start and you’ve got to have the right mind frame in order to do it.
So that’s what my client did, and because of that, he found a mentor. So look for people who are like you, who either have the same position as you, who have a higher position than you, or what you want, or who are doing what you want to be doing five to 10 years from now. Find those people and connect with them.
And then you want to have really meaningful conversations. So you want to ask them amazing questions like they’ve never been asked before and really connect. Not just surface-level questions.
And you can start with those for sure, like how did you get into what you’re doing, what do you love about it, but I mean like, when you really get down to it and have a meaningful conversation with somebody, that is something that people remember. And this is how I build my network, this is how I build my friend group.
It makes you stand out so much above anybody else that somebody will speak to. So I’ve got some examples of some questions that I want to share with you, and these are just examples. You can come up with your own. But I want you to remember, it’s not just about getting the job.
So the questions don’t have to be all professional all the time because people love talking about themselves and they’re going to be really surprised when you bring questions to them that they’ve never been asked before.
So here’s a few questions. What life lesson do you wish everyone was taught in school? What do you wish more people knew about? What do you hope to achieve in five years? What does this world need more of? What do you think you spend too much time doing? What advice would you give to yourself five years ago? What is your number one priority today? What is the new habit you want to form? What do you stand for? What matters to you the most?
So just examples of some questions. I also like to ask things like if you were me, how would you approach getting the dream job that I’m looking for right now? What would you do? And things like that where you can kind of get them to walk you down their path.
But what they did won’t necessarily work for you, but what will always work and where you can never go wrong is by creating a meaningful connection with somebody. And you can start in with some small talk, of course, like how did you get into what you’re doing, thanks for taking the time to talk to me, I’m really excited to learn about you.
Just get really curious and really interested in this person. And that is what’s going to get them to, in the end, be compelled to help you. And then the questions that I always recommend you ask at the end after you’ve had a really meaningful conversation and the connection is do you know of any companies that I should be taking a look at or do you know of any people that I should be speaking to?
And if you’ve had a really great meaningful discussion with them, they’re going to be happy to introduce you to other people because they’re going to know that you’re a quality human being that they would be happy to introduce to somebody else. Maybe one of their friends, maybe a hiring manager, maybe a colleague that they could also introduce you to so you could then have a meaningful conversation with them.
And having this meaningful conversation with them is giving them value. It’s asking them questions that maybe they hadn’t thought about for their own life, you can go as far as to inspire them, help them with the questions that you ask. So the quality of your life is the quality of the questions that you ask yourself.
And by asking really good questions, you create new thoughts within them that then give them value and brightens up their day, expand their mind, expand their brain, something that they hadn’t thought about before.
So a lot of the time, my clients will feel like they can’t give any value. They’re like, well, I don’t have anything to offer that person, why would they want to talk to me? Well, asking questions that people haven’t thought about before is expanding their brain, is getting them to think bigger, is giving them value.
So it’s as simple as that. And as you start to think, how could I offer this person more value, you will start to get more ideas about how to do that. And as you get to know them better, when you get the answers to some of these questions, you’ll start to fill in those pieces.
So you don’t have to worry so much about giving them value. Just be curious about them, genuinely want to learn about them, and that is something that doesn’t happen very often. So when we meet somebody who is doing that, it really stands out to us and we really want to form a deep connection with that person, and we want to help them if we at all can.
So to recap, you want to approach networking with the mindset of I want to meet and connect with new people that are going to help me over the course of my entire career, and that I can then help. Because when you’re in your job, when you get your dream role, people are going to reach out to you, and then they’re going to be asking you.
And maybe some of these connections, for example, we never know how it works out, maybe your mentor has a son or a daughter who then needs a job. Maybe they work in the same field as you, or you can help them get a job in that organization where you now work.
So it’s a circle that you’re building for the long-term, and the easiest way to start is by finding people who are like you but a few years ahead, a few steps ahead. So that’s what niche networking is, and that’s where I recommend that you start.
And don’t go into it with an agenda because people can tell. And don’t worry, your agenda is there. Obviously, you want to get a dream job and you will when you go through this process. But you won’t do it as fast if you have the agenda and it’s very clear and it’s front and center. Because that’s what people expect, and people are turned off by that energy.
So it’s what I call high intention, low attachment mindset. We want to be in the very high intention of like, who are you, what are you about, what have you done, what’s your experience like, who are you as a person, and how did you get to where you are.
This is fascinating to me. You’re so fascinating to me. And then this person starts to form a connection with you and then you can start to ask them, so if you were me, what do you think I should do? Who would you speak to? What could I look at?
And then that comes from a really genuine place because they’ve just talked about themselves, they’re feeling good about you, and they’ve really enjoyed the interaction. So that’s what it comes down to. So that’s the biggest mistake and then how to avoid it.
So some helpful thoughts about networking. One thought that I love is my next opportunity is literally one conversation away. And it is. It’s always one conversation away. And the more conversations you have and the better you get at having these meaningful conversations, the more you’re going to start to see momentum, you’re going to start to enjoy this process, you’re going to start to feel connected, you’re going to have all these feelings of connection instead of the person who’s still applying for 100 jobs on the job board and not getting any results and wondering what they’re doing wrong.
So don’t make that mistake. If you’ve been doing that, keep in mind, is that really working for me and how long am I willing to do that before I try something completely different? Then the other mind frame I want to offer you is that there are lots of different places online to meet people.
So LinkedIn is the big one, and I want to offer to you that LinkedIn is like a community. It’s a huge community where there’s bars, cafes, sub-bars, sub-cafes, secret lounges, secret rooms, the groups, and there’s all these people and organizations and all the people that work in these organizations. Endless amounts of people to connect with.
And all of them are available to you where you can go out there and just find amazing people at your fingertips to network with. So look at LinkedIn as a big party and where do you want to go, where do you want to find your people. And then go find them and go connect with them.
There’s also an app called Shapr that I recommend for clients. It’s called Shapr.co and I can link that up in the show notes. And it’s a specific networking app. So the thing I really like about this app is that people who go on it are already into networking. So they want to.
So you can meet inspiring professionals, and it’s like you can swipe and match up with people who are like you, and we already know that if they’re on that app, then they’re interested in talking to you. So they’re interested in networking and connecting with other people, and they understand that networking is helpful to everybody in the end.
So you can check that out. Shapr.co. So it’s free to sign up and then they also have a paid version. So three of my clients now have landed jobs through Shapr, so definitely something you can check out.
And networking is like a party, really. It’s like, now it’s going to be more of an online party with everything that’s happened, but it means that people are even more available to talk. They are feeling even more disconnected, and they want to connect with quality people.
So the feeling you get after you connect with a quality person is just no comparison as the feeling that you get when you submit an online application that you spent half an hour on and then you don’t hear back. So I hope I’m selling you on this idea of niche networking because it can be really fun when you get into it. It can be very, very inspiring. You can meet amazing people.
And it changes your career trajectory for the rest of your life, but you have to be willing to put in the work. You can’t just try it a few times and be like, oh, no job offer, didn’t work.
So now, I’m going to move into telling you some of the stories that have resulted in job offers from networking and exactly how they did. So I’m going to start with mine. I have a few, but I’m going to tell you this one. So I was going to college, I was in Camosun College, Victoria, BC. And I was taking business administration.
And I was in an economics class and I was working on the homework, I was sitting there late, and there was another guy in the class and he was sitting there late as well. And so I asked him, I was like, how are you doing with the homework? How is it going?
And he said, honestly, I’m having trouble with this, I don’t get this, do you get this? So I had completed this portion of the homework and I had the example, so I could show him. So I was like, yeah, sure, I can show you, this is what I did, this is how it works, it’s actually very simple.
And so we went through it together and he got it done right then and there in the class and he was just so happy. He felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders, he was like, oh my god, thank you so much for helping me with this. And that was it.
So he went home and then I went home and then we were in the same class, we saw each other again. And so then I helped him again. And so what resulted from this was it turns out he worked at a company called A Books on online bookseller, and he said to me, he’s like, you know, are you looking for a job?
And I said well yeah, I’m open to a job for sure. I wasn’t looking. I had a job at a cafe and I was in school and working at the cafe and I was content to continue working there. And he said to me, well, my company is hiring for a customer service person, are you interested? He’s like, I’d be happy to put your name forward.
And so I said sure, that’d be great. Send me the job description, let me know what I need to do. So he sent me the job description over and I was very intimidated by this job description. It seemed very technical, it seemed like I didn’t have really the skills that were needed.
On paper, I did not check all the boxes. So I was a bit intimidated, but I thought, you know what if he thinks I can do it and he knows me because we’ve been working together now and we’ve been in the same class and we’ve had some conversations if he thinks I can do it, what’s the harm in applying? What’s the harm in trying?
So I said okay, no problem. So I applied, got the interview, was a very vigorous interview process. I was interviewed by probably six different people and I had to go back three different times and I got the job. So I got that job and that was a huge breakthrough turning moment for me.
Because I realized that I could make a lot of money without needing to finish school. And for me, at the time, that was a lot of money that they’d offered me. At the time. And this is so many years ago. It was like, $45,000 a year for somebody who was single and was just like, had just newly moved out from living with my parents and was now going to be able to support myself with this job.
Actually, that job was what allowed me to move out. Sorry, I had not moved out yet. And once I got that job, then my parents were like, okay, you’re good to move out now, you’re making enough money, and they basically kicked me out. Long story, but it was a good move on their part.
So that happened only because I went out of my way to go talk to somebody who needed help. And so that’s a form of networking. You could just help somebody out with something and something can open up for you. And you have to be open to that happening.
And I didn’t go over there to help him with his homework because I thought that he was going to give me a job. That’s not what I expected. I wasn’t even thinking of it. But not to say that you couldn’t be thinking of it. You’re just putting out there that you’re ready for your dream job and that’s what you’re looking for, but the agenda wasn’t there.
And so it came to fruition. So that’s one story. There are so many other stories. So I will share another one. So my friend Tyler, he works in government now and he works on government real estate contracts and stuff like that. So he finished college and he went to a networking event while he was in college.
And he met what is now his boss, but didn’t happen until a year later. And he said to me, he’s like, “I really put in the work to get this job.” So basically, he met his boss, which he didn’t know was going to be his boss at a networking event. They had a chat, they exchanged contact information, and Tyler kept in contact with him for a year.
He’s like, I went to coffee with him every month, I told him what I was up to, we chatted, we had good conversations, we got along, and then when something came up, he immediately thought of me. It was easy and he hired me. And he calls it I put in the work to get that job.
So that’s another way that it could be done. And I don’t know that Tyler’s intent when he met him was a year later, he would get a job from having a conversation and keeping in contact with this person, but that’s just another example of a way that it can work and a way that it doesn’t work immediately, but that it works.
So now Tyler, having graduated is doing very, very well, has an amazing job, on track for an amazing career because he took this step. And so I want you to ask yourself, is that worth it to you? Is it worth it to you to meet somebody, make the effort to stay in contact with them, continually talk to them, be curious about their life, follow them, basically have them as a friend in order to then get a dream job in a year’s time even?
Is that worth it or is the alternative better? Which is to say no, I don’t really do networking. So I’m not saying it’s going to take a year. I’m not saying that’s how it always happens. I’m just saying we don’t know how but it ultimately always happens from you having a conversation with somebody somewhere along the way.
Everybody who got hired was in somehow engaged in a conversation with somebody that where there was a connection and then the person liked them enough to say, you know what, I think I want to hire you or I want to help you or let’s bring you on or you are somebody that I want to work with. I want to have you around. You are somebody who I would like to help and I would like you to help me.
Because ultimately, when you get started working, you’re going to be the one providing the value. So you get the opportunity to provide that huge amount of value and then you get compensated in the end because of it. So that it how it works.
Last quick story about networking. So my friend Jacy, she works for production companies in Vancouver and she does a lot of assistant work, sometimes she does production work. She scouts locations, she sets everything up for the commercials, really fun job.
And I was like, how did you get that job? And she said, “Oh, well, it was my sister who knew somebody. I helped my sister one time, they needed somebody, so I came.” She did a great job, they loved her, so then she was able to connect with the two people in Vancouver who everybody calls when they need a commercial done.
So now those two guys always call her when they need her. And that happened because of her sister. And it’s the same. I helped my sister get her career started as well because I was a good employee and I remember my boss at the time had said, she was like, I need another one of you.
She’s like, where can I find another one of you? Go find me that person. And I said, well, I do have a sister actually. So some people might say this is nepotism, it’s unfair, everybody should get a chance. I’ve heard this before. And you know what, maybe that’s true, maybe you’re right, you could be right, but it’s just not how it works.
So if we can’t change it, and this is one of my favorite quotes is if you argue with reality, you lose 100% of the time. If you can’t change how the world is really working, then you might as well get in on it and figure out how to do it so that you can benefit from it. Otherwise, the alternative is sitting on the sidelines doing what doesn’t work and complaining that it’s not fair.
And that gets you nowhere. So that’s what I’m all about is helping you figure out this game so that you can get into it, you can have fun, you can enjoy the process of networking. You can start to feel more connected and you meet friends and you get to feel more connected as a whole person in your personal life and in your professional life and your career expands and you get to reap the benefits for years to come.
And it’s just really the most life-changing thing you could do. So whether it’s networking in this space or for a job because you want to advance your career, networking is the way to do that. Or whether it’s you want to make new friends or you want to genuinely be somebody who has a more interesting life, who’s more connected, who’s more alive, because when we have friends who are doing interesting things or we know people who are doing interesting things, we are then more interesting.
We have more to talk about and we feel more connected because as humans, we want to be connected. That’s basically what everybody wants is they want to feel connected, even introverts. And for you introverts, if you’re resistant to this networking, I’ll tell you, having a one-on-one conversation, a lot easier for a lot of introverts.
I’m not saying you have to go to networking events or you have to do big crazy things. Just having a one-on-one conversation with somebody who’s just like you, maybe another introvert could land you your dream job and you just got to keep doing it.
So I hope this episode has been helpful for you. As you can tell, I’m pretty passionate about the topic of networking. I recommend starting with niche networking. It’s going to be the easiest way for you to start. The least intimidating.
Helpful thoughts: my next opportunity is just one conversation away, my dream job is just a few conversations around the corner, people want to help me, people want to talk to me, humans are wired for connection, let’s do this. How can this be fun? And once you understand the process, you start to get into it, you start to enjoy it, that’s when things start to unfold for you. That’s what happens with my clients.
If you would like to learn more about networking and get a step-by-step plan, including scripts and everything you need to get started, I have free training for you. It’s called Get a Better Job in 30 Days and day one of the training is called Infinite Opportunities.
And we’re going to dive deep into the topic of networking. We’re going to talk about the thing you could be doing that could keep you stuck for years and how to fix it, the three biggest mistakes that people make when they’re networking and trying to get a new job through networking and why they fail, the four things you need to be successful in networking for job opportunities, and the exact template used to get opportunities without sounding desperate or needy or graspy.
And finally, the biggest misconception professionals have about career networking. So if you want to get that, please head over to www.nataliefisher.ca/getstarted. Thank you so much, I can’t wait to see you on the training.
Thanks for listening to this episode of Get a Better Job in 30 Days. If you’re ready to dive deeper into your career mindset and start making a serious impact in your industry, join me at nataliefisher.ca/getstarted. I will see you over there.
Enjoy the Show?
- Don’t miss an episode, follow the podcast on Spotify and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or RSS.
- Leave me a review in Apple Podcasts.
- Join the conversation by leaving a comment below!