{"id":4799,"date":"2021-05-11T17:14:47","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T17:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jobhunt.fj-dev.com\/i-hate-networking\/"},"modified":"2021-12-13T07:33:49","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T14:33:49","slug":"i-hate-networking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/i-hate-networking\/","title":{"rendered":"If You Hate to Network…"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I was growing up, my mom had a cookbook called The I Hate to Cook Book<\/em>.<\/p>\n

At the time, it was bold for a woman to say that she hated to cook!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s much the same way with networking, today.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re not supposed<\/em> to hate networking. But many people do.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If networking isn\u2019t a natural strength of yours, don\u2019t give up hope.<\/p>\n

You can network as much as you need to \u2013 remembering that a big slice of the population doesn\u2019t love to chit-chat with strangers any more than you do. Here are some tips to get you going.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Network Successfully When You HATE Networking<\/h2>\n

While networking may be your least favorite way to spend time (network<\/em>!), it does have value, particularly when you are in a job search (and, since few of us have “permanent jobs,” networking is a necessity).<\/p>\n

1. Network with a friend.<\/h3>\n

If you don\u2019t love face-to-face networking events, don\u2019t go on your own!<\/p>\n

Take a chatty friend with you, and ask him or her to shepherd\u00a0 you around until you feel comfortable on your own.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be down if that comfortable moment doesn\u2019t arrive and you end up sticking to your event-partner like glue.<\/p>\n

Over time, you will get more comfortable mixing with new people, and you\u2019ll venture out on your own \u2013 but, there\u2019s no rush.<\/p>\n

2. Talk to the wallflower.<\/h3>\n

Often, at face-to-face business networking events, there\u2019s a circle of people heavily engaged in conversation, laughing and chatting loudly, clearly old friends. Don\u2019t even bother trying to bust into that circle. A big circle like that is a bad place to hone your conversational skills.<\/p>\n

Go, instead, for the most lonely and forlorn-looking person in the joint. That person will be happy to see you. Don\u2019t worry about a brilliant conversation opener: you can simply ask \u201cHow\u2019s your evening going?\u201d and take it from there.<\/p>\n

3. Ask questions.<\/h3>\n

It becomes much easier to talk to strangers when you don\u2019t worry about impressing them with your knowledge of all subjects from Civil War History to German opera.<\/p>\n

Instead, become the interviewer.<\/p>\n

Ask the person about his or her life.<\/p>\n