The Key to Networking
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter points out with most people do when they network and what you should be doing instead.
It’s Not Always What You Know But Who You Know
I’m Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter. I’m referred to as The Big Game Hunter because I hunted down leaders and staff for organizations for more than 40 
years. I’m a live-person job search expert (discontinued), you can reach me through liveperson.com. I’d love to answer your questions about job hunting. And today’s video is going to be about networking and the one thing that causes all your networking efforts to fail.
Now, let me kind of describe what most people do with networking. You get online with LinkedIn, you send a connection request. Someone else accepts, right? You go to a networking event, you use, you know, you collect a bunch of business cards, you go home, you take the card. You throw it in a drawer.
Okay. Now, what do you think is going to happen from there? I can answer that question for you. But let’s see if you can come up with it. I’m going to give you two seconds. Ready?
Here’s the answer. Most people do nothing. And that’s the failure of networking for those people. What you need to do is immediately follow up with those folks, and see if there’s something that you can do to help them. You know, and to do that periodically. Not to be a nag not to be a nuisance, but for the simple purpose of, one day, they’re going to take you up on it. And you’re going to take, they’re going to take you up on your request for help. And that’s really the effectiveness of networking.
It’s not just you shaking hands at a networking event. It’s not just simply sending the connection request on LinkedIn. That’s the first step. But you have to look at step six, uh, step two through 22. And everyone stops at the first step.
So my advice to you is really simple. Get a database. Set up a database. Set up a spreadsheet. Collect business cards from people. Collect data about people and reach out to them on a regular basis. Many of you know I have this ezine thing that I do about job hunting (discontinued). And it goes out to anyone who connects with me on LinkedIn. And it clearly states that on my LinkedIn profile. If you ask me for connection requests, this is what you’re going to get from me. And I reach out to folks periodically, as well.
Because in the nature of my work as a recruiter, what I did is network. I’d try to network to find people to fill my clients’ positions. Why can’t you do the same thing? Why can’t you set up a database? Why can’t you periodically get back in touch with people. And by the way, when you send that first message to people after you meet them, or if you connect with them, don’t delay. One of the big mistakes that people make is they wait for two, three months before they do anything with this data. And point of fact, by that time, who remembers, right? Who remembers?
So, a very simple suggestion, reach out to folks regularly. That’s what networking is really all about. It’s not who has the most business cards or who has the most LinkedIn connections wins. I’m always gonna dwarf you. But when all is said and done, you can do a lot to help yourself by networking, if you follow up.
How to End a Networking Conversation
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ careers easier. Those
things can involve job search, hiring more effectively, managing and leading better, career transition, as well as advice about resolving workplace issues.
Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2600 episodes.
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