Networking can seem to take an awful lot of time – especially if you're new to it. Businesses cards, emails, meetups, seminars – it all adds up. Networking can end up looking like a giant time consuming drag, an endless drudge hoping to find that one right contact.
Actually, networking is not about extensive activities, endless emails, and all that. Networking is about the power of five minutes.
It takes five minutes for you to ask someone a question about a job, five minutes to say hi to someone at a networking event, five minutes to send off a resume to a contact That's all it takes for you to learn, to meet someone new, to take a shot at getting a new job.
It just takes five minutes for the person you're talking to to help you. Five minutes to answer a question, five minutes to get to know you, five minutes to pass your resume to the right contact.
And from there someone else just needs another five minutes . . .
Networking is not about grinding or drudgery or endless slogs of pretending to be social. It's small, intimate, personal five minute times where you link up with someone, help someone, pass on a resume, or get a resume. Networking is about cumulative power.
Its all about the power of five minutes. Just make sure it's the right five minutes.
– Steven Savage