3 Myths That May Be Stalling Your Networking - Hire Imaging

3 Myths That May Be Stalling Your Networking - Hire Imaging Those who know me, know that I’m a stickler for networking in a job search â€" and in career management overall. The time to network is always. Rather than talk about the details of networking here, let’s look briefly at some of the common perceptions that often interfere with your ability to get the most out of networking. Here are three of what I believe to be the most pervasive â€" and most self-defeating â€" misconceptions about the process.     The only people you should focus on in your networking are people who are in a position to offer you a job. This concept is probably the most common and self-defeating fallacy about networking. True, your ultimate goal when you network is to gain access to people who are in a position to offer you a job. But networking itself is all about making connections with people who, indirectly or directly, can improve your chance of gaining that access. This is important. Don’t set limits on who should â€" or shouldn’t â€" be part of your network. Just about everyone you know or might meet, regardless of what he or she does for a living, could be in a position to hear about job opportunities. Don’t curtail your chances by underestimating the potential value of anyone you know. You have to know the “right people” to network successfully. There is, frankly, a ring of truth to this statement. That said, it is misleading. The basic purpose of networking, remember, is to gain access to the so-called “right people.” And if there is a single recipe for effective networking, it rests in your ability to create a set of connections that will eventually give you access to the people who are in a position to offer you a job. Networking is in its essence, a step-by-step process versus a random reach-out or connecting. You meet one person, who gives you a name of someone else, who gives you yet another name, and so on. Your concrete goal is to connect with a key person. Not having immediate access to that key person doesn’t wedge you out of the process. It simply presses you to be more creative, resourceful and patient. Strangers resent it when you ask them to help you in your job search. I’ll say it. It’s not a perfect world â€" not by any stretch. There will be times when you call someone or meet someone at an event, who will try to make you feel guilty simply because you have the nerve to ask him or her for help in your job search. Fortunately, though, most people â€" even people you don’t know that well â€" will be surprisingly cooperative, as long as you approach them respectfully and make reasonable requests. Yes, networking can be hard work â€" especially if you cringe at the thought of asking people you don’t know for favors. But networking isn’t difficult in the sense that playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D Major is difficult. In other words, you don’t need special skills or training to network effectively. It helps to be organized and systematic. And when you’re face to face with â€" or talking to, someone whose help you’re seeking, you must be able to introduce yourself and explain your situation in a brief, clear way that puts people at ease. The main thing to remember about networking is the resolve to do it. You can’t let yourself be thwarted by the tentativeness that might normally prevent you from introducing yourself to strangers who could possibly be helpful to you. You have to face the possibility that, yes, some of the people you approach aren’t going to be as helpful as you would like â€" including those people you think you can rely on. But this is what you must always remember: The worst thing that can happen in your efforts to shape and nurture a personal network is that someone you approach won’t be willing or able to help. That’s it. On the other hand, as you’ll see the more you network, most people you approach will, in fact, be willing to help. The connections are there to be made. You often just have to pick up the phone.