Writer, Agilist, Elder Geek
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.
You're busy networking (or at least should be). You're trying to hook up with that mentor, find a connection to get a job, get to know a company better, and so on. You spend a lot of time connecting and schmoozing and getting to know people.
So, are you giving anything back?
Do you have a Career Best Friend? Someone to talk to for advice? Someone to bounce career ideas off of? Someone who can talk to you about their career? Someone you share professional experiences with?
We all need a career best friend – or friends – because for careerists life can get awful complex. We can get lost in a maze of certifications and job data, we may need a boost, we may need someone to shoot down a harebrained idea. We also need someone who we are truly friends with to do that, since otherwise we're probably not going to listen to them.