Face-to-face networking, not quite the bane of my existence.

As the name of my blog states, I'm an island girl, i.e. I hail from one of those gorgeous gems in the Caribbean sea: Trinidad & Tobago. For those who live in the Caribbean and who've visited the C'bbean before, you probably know that the differences between U.S. culture and C'bbean culture can be quite jarring at times. The work culture back home, for instance, makes for an interesting U.S./T&T contrast. I bring this up because as I've been using social media more and more for career networking purposes I realize that I've been avoiding face-to-face networking. In trying to reflect upon why this might be, I've concluded that part of it is cultural.

On my island of approximately 1.2 million people, the way we communicate is in many ways different than in the U.S. Finding a job back home for instance, while heavily reliant on traditional resume/cover letter applications has ALOT to do with who you know, where you went to school, where your parents are from, whether or not you and the potential employer's families know each other etc. All of these things, give you a foot in the door on a relatively small island.

So now that I'm semi-permanent fixture in the city of brotherly love, I do sometimes find it a little difficult to connect on more meaningful levels with people without those links I just mentioned. Social media for the most part can level the playing field because you get to read people's blogs, know what they're about etc. before connecting. But in face-to-face networking situations they dynamics are changed a bit. I am by no means a shy person but if you see me at one of these networking type function thingys you would definitely think so. The problem is I don't know how to begin! If someone else begins the conversation, then fine, I can go with that flow. But initiating contact with a totally random stranger at an event can be downright intimidating. Here are a few categories of the networkers I've encountered:

1. The social butterfly. This networker already knows everyone in the room and you wonder why they even bothered to come. But the social butterfly will also seek out people standing alone at events and have great success at including them in other conversations, further widening their circle. They come across as very genuine although widely popular and you sometimes experience mild envy of their networking skill. But because the social butterfly is so adept at flitting around, they know little of substance about everyone in their network which can be a downside.
2. The guy who loves his business cards. This type of networker came to the event specifically to give out his business card, or so it would seem. He doesn't discriminate, giving it to everybody he's engaged in coversation with. He enjoys telling people what he does but really doesn't grasp the idea of the reciprocal relationship.
3. The relationship people. These are the people you really want to meet. They know it's impossible to connect with everyone so while they may be gracious with everyone, they came in with a plan and they stick to the plan, doggedly continuing the convo with the person they came to meet. These types follow up reaaaally well and pursue the long-term mutually beneficial relationships. (I never meet these folks, but I'm just a lowly student after all LOL)
4. The wallpaper/drink stirrers. I would probably put myself in here sadly enough. These folks blend in with the crowd really well but they aren't networking. They stand around stirring their drinks waiting for someone to approach them and really are clueless about how to begin. These networkers can sometimes provide the most engaging conversations, but because they don't put themselves out there they miss out on meeting some great people.

In an effort to find some tips on networking for the inexperienced networker, I happened across a post entitled '13 Tips For Your First Networking Event' by David Spinks who I've started following on Twitter. I find the tips to be extremely helpful, especially the one about being creative.

Be creative. Think of something creative that will make you stand out and help break the ice, commencing conversation. The best example I saw was Arthur Bouie representing We Are Nom who carried around a basket of cookies to give out. They were a hit…and delicious.

-www.davidspinks.com

Next month I'll be attending a Careers 101 session put on by the PPRA, so I will most definitely try to utilize these tips and of course I'll be sure to blog about it!