Will Networking Get Me a job? Strategic Networking With Lucy Samuels

Introduction

Kristine 

Welcome, Lucy! I’m very very happy to have you joining me today on the Express podcast, and I would love it if you would just tell the listeners about yourself and about the work that you do.

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Lucy 

Hi Kristine. Thank you so much for having me. I’m Lucy Samuels. I’m a language and communication coach, and I help clients develop the communication skills they need to excel professionally–whether that’s finding a new job or advancing in their current role. 

Introduction to Strategic Networking

Kristine 

Awesome! And one of the things you do with your clients is helping them utilize their network; build their network, build those communication skills for effective networking. So can you tell me why somebody should network when they’re looking for a job?

Lucy

Well, I think sometimes the word networking makes people think of something sleazy or one-sided, so I just try to help people understand that it’s making connections with real people. It could be something as simple as where to send your kids for daycare or something like, well, I’m looking for a new job, or I’m interested in maybe changing professions here in the company, and I’d love to know more about it. It’s a great way that people can help you but also that you can help someone else. It doesn’t need to be one-sided. Actually, it shouldn’t be one-sided, nor should it be transactional. So I think it’s great that you network just to learn to get opportunities and to help other people do the same.

How to Be Successful in Networking

Kristine 

Awesome, yeah, I can see how people’s perceptions about networking might hold them back from trying it out, so thank you for explaining more about it. So, under what circumstances or when do you think people should network? 

Lucy 

It would be easier for me to tell you when they should not. 

Kristine 

Okay. Yea! Tell me!

Lucy 

I can’t think of a time when people shouldn’t be networking. I know that we often associate networking with job seeking, and it certainly, certainly will make your job search a lot easier, and we can talk about that, but I just think that networking is something that you can do all the time. 

Since we’re mostly talking about professional settings, your neighbors might even be in the same field as you or know someone who is. I’ve had that happen before. So I would say I can’t think of a time you shouldn’t network. So when you really, really, really should be focusing on it is if you’re thinking about advancing professionally, if you want to have an easier time at work, right? It’s easier to get things done when you network, even with your own coworkers, or if you’re looking to relocate is another time that it’s super important to be networking because you’ll need to have a network in the place that you’re moving to. I just can’t think of a time when it would not work to be networking and connecting with people.

Creative and Effective Networking Strategies

Kristine

Sure, Sure. With so many people working from home now and not going into a traditional office setting and not meeting up with friends in person, how should people be networking online? So how does that look nowadays?

Lucy 

I think a lot of networking needs to take place online simply because we’re living in the middle of a pandemic, and the internet has offered us these opportunities to still connect with people without being face to face. Some of us have worked remotely, even pre-pandemic, and so some of those conversations that would occur naturally in the workplace, we don’t get to have. We don’t stop at the water cooler and chit-chat with anyone, so we have to be more intentional about it. So I think that a lot of this needs to take place online. 

But you can take certain steps online and then take the conversation further. Maybe it’s a phone call, which is different from just, you know, a text message or slack message. Maybe it’s a face-to-face video meeting, and maybe it’s doing something socially distanced. I have a coworker who lives in the same area as me, and we actually had lunch together, believe it or not. I hadn’t met anyone on the team in person, so it was great. It was awesome. 

Kristine 

Awesome, so it sounds like a lot of ways to network online and in-person. So just because we’re in the middle of a pandemic, it’s not an excuse not to be networking.

Lucy 

Right, exactly.

Networking Tips for Beginners

Kristine 

And what if somebody’s completely new to networking? Maybe they live in a country where it’s not common. How would you recommend getting started?

Lucy 

So that actually happens a lot. I work with clients who are from various cultures, different backgrounds, and a lot of them will stay with you know, in the United States seems to be all about who you know. But what happens if I don’t know anyone here? That’s when I start to think about maybe starting small with someone who might know someone who knows someone. So maybe you don’t know anyone who works in a particular company that you’d like to work in, but you can ask the people that you do know–people you feel comfortable with–so you can start with people you feel comfortable with and see who they might want to introduce you to. Tell them what you’re looking for.

I’m looking for a new job. I want to be a software engineer.

Or,

I’m interested in events marketing.

And then just say, 

Do you know anyone who could help me with…?

And be specific about it. If these people are your friends and family, they’re going to want to help you, and having them make an introduction makes it so much easier. It’s more of a warm connection versus just scrolling the internet and saying I want to talk to Kristine. This Kristine looks really cool. I’d do something like that. But I know that that’s scary.

Kristine 

You did do something like that! That’s how we know each other!

Lucy 

I did do something like that. And here we are! Right? Kristine looks cool! I’ll talk to Kristine.

Success Story About Strategic Networking

Kristine

Alright, and how about a success story? I love telling stories on the Express to impress podcast and would love it if you shared a story, maybe about you or a client that was successful that involves networking.

Lucy

Sure, when I was looking to pivot my business, I started working with people I knew, and I had a client, and we’ll call her Maria. Maria just said I just want to do my resume. I don’t want all this networking stuff you’re talking about. Can we just skip that part? So I explained to her that a lot of jobs that are posted–there are a lot of candidates already before the job is even posted just because people would like to hire folks who they already know or who have been introduced to them. 

And so Maria was just really reluctant, and I said, well would it help if I introduced you to some folks? And we had a little meetup–just clients that I had who were other ex-pat women just like her. She felt very comfortable and, low and behold, met someone who was able to pass her resume that we had worked on to the right person. She only had one round of interviews, got a brand new job. I don’t know that that would have happened with her if she was just applying online. 

Kristine 

I doubt that would have happened! I mean…

Lucy

I doubt it. I doubt it.

Kristine 

That’s amazing! And it’s possible with networking! But yeah, I think it’s only possible with networking. I love that story. Yeah, very cool. And so you brought together this group of ex-pat women, and they started sharing what connections they knew and passed that information along, and then she has a job offer one interview later. Wow. 

Tune in For LinkedIn Networking Strategies And More!

That brings us to the end of the first episode about strategic networking with Lucy Samuels! I invite you to tune in next week to hear the rest of my conversation with Lucy, where she will share more tips on strategic networking. We’ll talk about using LinkedIn for networking, what to write to set up an informational interview successfully, the importance of follow-up, and how to keep track of your conversations with people in your network.

And don’t forget to subscribe to receive notifications whenever I release a new episode. As a reminder, you can subscribe anywhere you download podcasts like Apple, or you can tune in and read the transcripts from my episodes on my website, express-to-impress.com. 

 Thank you so much for listening to the Express to Impress podcast. If you found this episode useful, please remember to share it with a friend! See you next time. Bye!