Sharing the Importance of Developing Networking ...

Journal of Organizational Behavior Education 7. © 2014 NeilsonJournals Publishing.

GALLEY PROOF

Sharing the Importance of Developing Networking Ties in Teaching Career Communication Skills Julie Stewart University of Cincinnati, USA

Thomas Clark Xavier University, USA

Brian Clark TriHealth, USA

Regina Troxell Benedictine University, USA

Abstract.

Keywords:

1. Introduction Your power is almost directly proportional to the thickness of your Rolodex, and the time you spend maintaining it. Tom Peters Many people are only one idea, one dream, or one person away from their miracle. Bob Harrison More business decisions occur over lunch and dinner than at any other time, yet no MBA courses are given on the subject. Peter Drucker © 2014 NeilsonJournals Publishing. All rights reserved.

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Developing Networking Ties in Teaching Career Communication Skills

It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. Whitney Young I’’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou

This paper describes a first week, in-class exercise we conduct in Business Communication classes to raise awareness about the importance of networking outside of one’’s familiar and proximate circles for career success. It uses data students originate about their personal networking circles as a starting point for a presentation on the value of networking as well as the key principles and practices behind successful networking efforts. It is appropriate for both undergraduate and graduate students. We typically take two 45-minute periods to complete it in MWF? day classes, and one 75-minute workshop in our TTh? classes and 7-week evening classes. This exercise is also appropriate for use in Career Development Office training for undergraduate and graduate career development workshops. We begin the class by showing a slide of the five quotations that start this article and asking for feedback about them. After hearing various student experiences related to these quotations, we introduce the topic of networking, which we define as a process through which one builds and maintains relationships with others for mutual advantage (Clark 2010), especially stressing that effective networks are mutually supportive and something that if nourished and maintained can be valuable throughout a lifetime. We then summarize key benefits of networking cited in Uzzi and Dunlap’’s ““How to Build Your Network”” (2005). They point out that networks deliver both private information and access to diverse skills. For example, private information, such as knowledge of an interviewer’’s preferences and ““red flags,”” might be provided by a networking contact with an organization where a student is seeking a position of significant value to an interviewee in shaping the content of a resume, letter of application, and answers to interview questions. For the second advantage, access to an array of skill sets, the authors claim diverse networks reveal many different types of expertise and experience to broaden a job seeker’’s perspective. For example, we point out that networking interviews might reveal typical career paths for different starting jobs, the kinds of credentials an ideal candidate might bring to a job, such as past relevant work experience, product and process knowledge, education, technical skills, and volunteer leadership, as well as ways of students promoting themselves in traditional and nontraditional media, all valuable in helping clarify career goals, deciding on future course work, and preparing for interviews. We then engage students with a series of questions and exercises intended to show that in many ways students already have an informal knowledge of how to

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network. The first exercise is to write down 3-4 people students met through their connections to a roommate, a friend, or someone who suggested they join a group or club. We then ask for a show of hands of students who have sought the advice and help of others in pursuing paid employment opportunities, including high school jobs such as landscaping or child and pet care opportunities. Last, we ask them to list 10 people that they would now ask for career advice or help including relatives, neighbors, friends, fellow students, professional colleagues, teachers, and members of service, political, and religious organizations. Subsequently, students fill out a form, on which they identify the key demographics of their contacts including ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, political affiliation, geographic location, annual income and to compare this data with their own demographics. We invite students to comment on their insights in small groups of 3-4 and ask one member of each group to summarize its findings. Typically we find that student networks are consistent with the principles of similarity and proximity, which posit respectively that people hunger for close relationships with people they perceive to be like themselves and also associate with those in close proximity to themselves. As expected, students reveal they have many contacts of the same gender, ethnicity, age, sexuality, religion, geography and family income as well as contacts residing near a student’’s home or campus location. We then cite Mark Granovetter’’s (1983) groundbreaking study of employment history, ““The Strength of Weak Ties””, in which he found that people were more than three times as likely to find a job through a networking contact than through traditional means, proof for the idea that ““who knows you”” is more valuable to finding a job or internship than academic success, responding to print or online advertisements, or attending job fairs. Importantly, he found that ““loose ties”” were more productive in the job search that ““strong ties””. We share several explanations of this phenomenon: one is that one’’s closest circles of acquaintances are aware of the same contacts and opportunities as the job seeker, creating an echo chamber of information, thus adding limited value to the search. Sandra Smith (2000) found data to support an alternative explanation for the loose ties hypothesis: people often promote weak ties for career opportunities because they perceive it entails less risk if the networking contact does not succeed in the job. They perceive greater risk in promoting someone they know well because they assume the contact will believe they have deep knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the close tie and hold the recommender more responsible if the contact fails to meet expectations. We conclude this section by summarizing how crucial effective networking is to career success and ask students to share perspectives on what kinds of fears might inhibit them from networking and what steps they might take to overcome them.

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Developing Networking Ties in Teaching Career Communication Skills

Subsequently, we introduce the key principles of networking success in the order below, highlighting the action implications of each. 2. Key Principles of Networking Success Step One: Similarity and Proximity Principles We review the similarity and proximity principles and show how students can use them to address their most frequent concern first: that it is not easy to pick up a telephone or write an email asking people for help in career exploration. It is inconsistent with the concept of self-sufficiency that many hold dear, and it can be discouraging as inevitably some contacts may offer little valuable information and others may reject the invitation. Thus, students typically suggest developing and practicing a networking pitch with an inner circle of trusted contacts who will be sympathetic and helpful in gaining feedback on an initial elevator pitch, helping them gain experience and confidence in initiating a networking program that extends beyond the ““echo chamber”” of the close networking circles. As a class we agree on some basic initial action steps to initiate a networking program. We suggest students 1. Develop a 90-second elevator pitch that highlights their ““brands””, including a job or career objective, work and volunteer experience, education, special skills such as languages, technology, and social media, and a list of positive personal qualities. 2. Begin networking with people they know well. This practice will reduce the psychological barriers and allow students to gain some practice in asking for help with those most likely to treat their initial efforts with empathy. In particular, we suggest asking contacts to help widen a student’’s circle of connections through their contacts. 3. Invest time in activities like intramural sports, charitable organizations, and school-sponsored activities, such as theatre, art, and music groups, where actions are shared and interdependent. Uzzi and Dunlap (2005) point out that when participants share passions, they build the kind of trust that is essential to people going the extra mile to help one succeed. 4. When possible find out something about a potential contact that could be used as a basis to establish a connection, for example, place of birth, awards, associations, college, mutual friends, memberships, and sports allegiances. LinkedIn and Facebook are good places to find this

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information. Take advantage of opportunities to celebrate birthdays, promotions, awards, and anniversaries, as a way of maintaining positive relationships with contacts. 5. Consider joining online high school and college alumni groups to help widen awareness of student talents to those who share a school history. We recommend constructing a message that starts with a friendly greeting such as ““Greetings Fellow (school) Alumnus””, limiting the message to three concise paragraphs to respect readers’’ time, and asking for help that is easy for readers to provide, such as ““I am writing to ask you a simple favor: If you are called, as I have been in the past, by recruiters looking for a manager with my talents, I would be grateful if you would let them know how I can be reached. I am not asking for a reference, simply assistance in getting my name out. My attached resume will give you an idea of my education and experience””, We suggest closing with a concise statement of appreciation and a willingness to return the favor. 6. Develop a professional LinkedIn presence, including a video of an elevator pitch, a set of slides showing pictures and text of students at work, in service, and in school, and a resume. Highlight key search terms, especially knowledge of foreign languages, software and statistical programs, social media skills, and design or other creative talents. This information helps recruiters identify job candidates who meet their criteria. 7. Design a business card as a professional marketing tool, using a site such as vistaprint.com and store them in a professional case (Thomas 2012). Consider putting a positive inspirational quotation on it and find a design that is consistent with career objectives (such as an image of a 1099 on an accounting major’’s card). Step Two: Goal Setting and Planning Principles The next topic we cover is implementing a networking program. We encourage students to set goals for networking and implement a plan to achieve them. Action steps we cover include 1. Devoting a specific weekly goal for networking, such as making 25 calls or emails with the target of ten leads and a fresh set of contacts for the following week.

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Developing Networking Ties in Teaching Career Communication Skills

2. Agreeing to every telephone and face-to-face meeting that schedule and location allow. As Keith Ferrazi (2005) demonstrates in Never Eat Alone, life is unpredictable and one never knows the positive outcomes a meeting might produce. 3. Be the person contacts will want to help. We highlight four actions, stressing that communication is a reciprocal process –– and that how we treat others often predicts how they treat us. a. Be prepared: Write down a series of questions to ask a networking contact before the interview to demonstrate that the interviewee’’s time will be spent productively b. Practice good listening skills, establishing eye contact while the contact is speaking, as it serves as a window to the importance assigned to the contact’’s remarks. c. Take notes to indicate the value of a contact’’s comments, with specific reference to key thoughts, names of potential contacts, names of children, specific awards and recognitions, interests, and other information that might be useful in maintaining the networking connection. d. Be optimistic, friendly, reliable, honest, and unfailingly polite. Step Three: Asking for Help Contacts Will Find Easy to Provide The principle of the self-fulfilling prophecy posits that contacts will help if they find the requests easy to provide. Initial requests might include a resume review, an understanding of the career path a contact has followed, and the strengths and weaknesses a human resources professional might see in assessing the fit between what is listed on a resume and what the best candidates are offering. During subsequent meetings when trust has increased, we suggest only then requesting the contact ask for a recommendation for a job for which they think students might be well qualified. Step Four: Rule of Exchange We point out that the principle of exchange posits that people cooperate with people when they believe they will receive something of value in return. These rewards can be as simple as a thank you note, sent either via text, snail mail or email that indicates the value received from the meeting.

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We also suggest that students offer to do something of value to the contact, for example, help with social media or giving positive comments or an endorsement on LinkedIn or to a third party known to both. We point out, as a benefit, others are more likely to speak positively of students, when they feel the joy of being of service to someone who might return the favor, a key to maintaining the networking relationship, one in which both parties feel they have received more than they have given up, a win-win. Step Five: The Multiplier Effect We project a PowerPoint slide that shows how a Rolodex of contacts can grow exponentially as initial contacts recommend a student to their contacts. One contact refers a student to two more contacts who each recommend the student two additional contacts and the network grows significantly. We stress when asking others to open up their networks, the networker has a responsibility to act respectfully and responsibly in every interaction. 3. Why This Exercise Works This exercise is both popular and valuable because it uses students’’ own experiences to lay the groundwork for highlighting the principles that drive networking success. It also works because it relates directly to student aspirations for career success. It helps students see the significance of networking behaviors as a foundation skill for gaining co-ops, internships, and full time work –– and as a career building skill to be employed throughout a lifetime of work. An additional benefit is that students get to meet and network with each other during the first week of class. And it highlights the importance of adopting a dual perspective, the keen ability to see how a student’’s words and actions often predict the responses others have to them. In short, this exercise sensitizes students to the importance of planning their networking behaviors to meet the twin goals of promoting their worth and finding employment opportunities by implementing a plan that follows principles essential to networking success.

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Developing Networking Ties in Teaching Career Communication Skills

References: Clark, T. (2010), Career Strategies, 2nd Ed., Dubuque: Kendall Hunt. Ferrazzi, K. & Raz, T. (2005), Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One relationship at a Time, New York: Random House. Granovetter, M. (1983), ““The Strength of Weak Ties: A Network Theory Revisited””, Sociological Theory, 1(1): pp. 201-233. Smith, S. S. (2000), ““Mobilizing Social Resources: Race, Ethnic, and Gender Differences in social Capital and Persisting Wage Inequalities””, The Sociological Quarterly, 41(4): pp. 509-537. Thomas, C. (2012), ““The Power of Networking””, Diversity Employers, December 1: pp. 2-3. Uzzi, B. & Dunlap, S. (2005), ““How to Build Your Network””, Harvard Business Review, 83(12): pp. 53-60.

A version of this paper was presented in April 2014 at the Diversity Conference at the University of Cincinnati.