Networking: Hunting Versus Helping
Dear Kate & Dale:
I keep hearing that networking is the key to
getting a better job, but I've had zero luck so far. It's torture for me, a shy
person, to keep pushing myself on other people. I'm losing my motivation along
with my appetite for hotel Chicken Kiev. Help, before I start trying to slash
my wrists with one of these useless business cards I've collected!
-- Merrill |
Dale: With networking, as with all
other endeavors, it's possible to try too hard. Every time I go to professional
meetings I see people who are obsessively, desperately hunting employers --
stalkers with resumes.
Kate: And once networking becomes a
grim effort, it's hard to keep it going and it's impossible to succeed. So, the
key is to make it pleasurable. Yes, Merrill: Pleasurable!
Dale: For instance, I have a friend
who wanted to sell his consulting services and started attending every meeting
in town. No action ensued. At some point he stopped hunting and started
helping. He volunteered to be program chairman of a professional group, a
time-consuming job no one wanted. But it gave him a chance to call people he
admired and ask them to speak to the group. He got to know the presenters, plus
he became friends with the organization's leaders. And within months he had
more work than he could handle. And it wasn't just because he figured out how
to enjoy the networking -- he was also getting to know the leaders of his
profession.
Kate: Many networkers make the
mistake of meeting people at their own level, instead of executives one or two
levels above them. Networking "up" is easier than it sounds. Seminars and
conferences are often aimed at specific types of executives. For instance, I
worked with one man who set a goal of meeting three new people each week. He
started by attending the obvious meetings, then he'd ask his new acquaintances
what other events they found helpful. He attended a seminar on starting up new
divisions of corporations. No breakthrough connections at the conference;
however, a short time later, he heard of a firm starting a new division. He
called the executive heading the project, mentioned some of what he'd learned,
and was invited to come in. He told me, "I found that, instead of being
interviewed for a position, I was just sharing information. I didn't see it as
a job interview, but I got a job offer the next week."
Dale: That's networking at it's
best: not lurking, learning; not hunting, helping.
Dear Kate & Dale:
I've been doing consulting work for the past
three years but I still haven't figured out how to charge for my services. I
have plenty of work, but I can't seem to make a decent living.
-- Cory |
Dale: If you're like me, Cory, the
toughest person to convince about your price is yourself. One place to start is
by figuring out what it would cost for your client to do the work in-house.
Let's say that the going rate for an employee in your field is $50,000 a year,
salary and bonuses. That's $25 an hour (50 weeks of work a year, times 40 hours
a week, equals a standard work year of 2000 hours). But employers know that
employees actually cost one-and-a-half to two-times their salaries. (Benefits
alone amount to 40 percent of salary; then there are supplies, office space,
and so on). So it really costs a company closer to $50 an hour for someone like
you. You could stop there. But, odds are, you're better than an employee. You
accomplish more per hour, because you don't have to attend all the company's
internal matters as distractions. And, by working for lots of clients, you
bring ideas and flexibility. You could make the case that you're a bargain at,
say, $75 an hour, or more.
Kate: Depending, of course, on
competition. But my advice is, be brave and go in with a high billing rate. If
the client gasps, you can always "discount," but at least you have a chance of
getting what you deserve. If all goes well, your client will say about you what
Samuel Goldwyn said of one of his employees: "We're overpaying him, but he's
worth it."
Popular Past Columns
|
