newbuzz...For the first time in their lives, many Americans are out of work. There are more displaced workers than there are job opportunities. As a result, people are becoming more desperate and more competitive for the jobs that are available. One solution to this is a new phenomenon called networking. We hear about it in bestsellers, newspapers, magazines, on television, in the office, and on college campuses. It is touted as the skill that will help you find a job and secure your rise above the masses. I think in their vigor to embrace this idea, many people are missing the point.
The way I see it, networking has been around since time began. The only thing new about networking today is the capitalist spin applied to it. To me, networking is connecting with the people you know, who also know you and have some context into your character. Your network might include your earliest school chums, your church friends, members of your kids' PTA, members of local groups and clubs, business associates and friends and family. With this kind of network you are bound to find help and support in your darkest hours, including the loss of your job. The context of caring and concern is missing from the new networking. The virtue of giving to others is lost. Now people are instructed to collect contacts and business cards so that if disaster strikes they will have a network of support.
I think a person with a full network is one who has lived a rich life and taken care to tend existing relationships as well as make new friends and contacts. In my estimation, pursuing contacts with the single minded notion of how they will help you in the future is not an authentic way to live. I think it is better to enjoy the people you meet because of the exchange you share today. This kind of warm, authentic connection with people will enrich your life and your career and will stand the test of time.