Networking Can Help Further a Career: Keep people interested in you because it may pay off (651 hits)
Susan Odegaard Turner, RN, MSN, PhD, an accomplished nurse educator, was secure in her career: "I took no calls from recruiters for eight years," she says. Then she got laid off. It can happen to anyone, even the nurse who is well-regarded in her career, or to someone like Turner, who was a well-known author and holder of two advanced degrees. "It doesn't matter what industry you're in, keep your name out there," she says.
Adds Diane Scott, RN, MSN, a nursing mentor and author: "Networking not only keeps you abreast of current trends not only from a clinical aspect, but a social one. It gives you the ability to become resilient and anticipate changes." ... networking is even more critical, says Belinda Puetz, an RN, author and consultant.
What it is Networking, as the name implies, is a way of making connections. It can be the result of a systematic, concentrated action, or one of serendipity. (Most effectively, it contains a little of both.) But either way, it doesn't just happen; you have to be receptive and proactive. It is a way of creating and maintaining linkages and relationships with friends, acquaintances, colleagues, teachers and relatives -- and people you admire (maybe strangers), both professional and personal.
Networking is done on many levels at many places but most importantly, it's done person-to-person. It's reaching out to people and engaging them in conversation or information-sharing. Bottom line: It's making an effort to meet others and making the most of every opportunity, which will lead you to making the most of your profession.
For instance, Puetz recalls the time she was in an elevator listening to an executive complain to a co-worker about an employee performance issue. Puetz, who had done lots of organizational consulting, turned to the man and said, "I can help you with that." He looked surprised, but listened to her short pitch on the way up to his floor and took her business card. She's kept in touch and has done work for the company. She also kept in touch with an executive for whom she did a small project that she recalls, "Was a bit problematic." But she didn't burn her bridges and that "difficult" executive has since hired her for more work, including a $100,000 consulting contract.
That's a good example of seizing the opportunity, says Diane Scott, who says she's made friends and valuable contacts by striking up conversations in her car mechanic's waiting room and by e-mailing experts she's seen quoted in the news. "Every opportunity is an opportunity to leave an impression," she says. So networking can create a cadre of people who may now or sometime be critically important to you.
Techniques There are no hard and fast rules about networking, but there are guidelines, experts say. Here are some tips on how to get going:
Take advantage of your professional organizations...
