Once a week or so I hear from a person who says, "I love the idea of networking. I know that it's important to network. But I have no network at all. What do you advise for me?"
I suppose it's possible for an adult to have no network at all -- if he or she has been living in the Biosphere laboratory for the last few decades. But that is unlikely. You DO have a yep; everyone has a network! You just haven't been thinking of the people you know as a network.
Who Do You Know?
A useful exercise for the person who thinks "I don't know anyone" is to sit down with a blank sheet of paper and write down 100 names. Write down the names of everyone you know. Here's what happens: the first 10 names are easy. Sometimes the next 10 are pretty easy too. Then, you sit.
You wonder: Who else do I know? You think: I don't know anyone else! But that's not true. You know people at work. You know people in your neighborhood. You know people at your gym, or your place of worship, or your kids' school. You know people through your parents, your friends, and your book club. Keep writing! It may take you an hour. If you stick to it, you'll list 100 people. Most of us know more people than that.
You have never thought of these folks as your network before. But that's what they are. These are people you will tell if you're looking for a job, but don't wait until you're job-hunting to cultivate your network.
Tending Your Network
Make sure you have contact information for everyone on your list. If you don't want to use technology in your network-management, use a plain old-fashioned address book.
Next, reach out to your network, one by one. Touch base with the people you don't see often, and offer a coffee date to catch up. People are aware of their networks when they need them, but that's the worst time to reach out to seldom-seen contacts and say, "It's been too long!" It's so much better to strengthen your connections when you're not in need of a favor -- like right now, for instance.
Something incredible happens when you have lunch or coffee with a colleague or friend you haven't seen in awhile. You wonder why it took you so long to re-establish contact! Networking is not just for job-seekers; keeping up your friendships and work relationships gives you moral support, fresh ideas, and the reminder that the people around us add so much to our lives, personally and professionally.
The new people you meet after you develop your "network awareness" will become part of your network, too.
Renew Old Ties
In reviewing your network, you may think of someone you lost touch with long ago. "Well, it's too late now," you may think, "I can't contact that person, 10 years later." Well, why the heck not! There is no statute of limitations on networking, or on friendship. That person will very likely be delighted to hear from you.
Networking is not just (or even mostly) about making new contacts -- it's cultivating the trusty old ones, as well.
They say no man is an island, and I have yet to meet the person who's truly unconnected in this people-packed world. You've got a network, whether you know it or not. Your job now is to behave like a person who's got a network -- keeping up with your contacts, being a friend and a resource to them, and letting them know what they mean to you.
Liz Ryan is a 25-year HR veteran, former Fortune 500 VP and an internationally recognized expert on careers and the new millennium workplace. She is the author of "Happy About Online Networking," a popular speaker on workplace and work/life topics, and the leader of the global Ask Liz Ryan online community. Contact Liz at liz@asklizryan.com.
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