Author: D.C. Denison
The Globe Staff
Boston Globe
Date: October 21, 2001

Over the last few years many professionals have awakened to the power of networking. Deal-making and alliance-building skills were at a premium in a rising tech-fueled economy. Now that the boom has gone bust, many of these same professionals, out of work and looking for a job, may be planning to network even more aggressively.

That could be a mistake, says Diane Darling, president of Effective Networking, a Boston-based company that conducts networking workshops nationwide.

"When you're networking for a job, the tendency might be to quickly move the conversation to the next level, to start selling yourself," she says. "But you need to know when to stop. You're not going to get married on the first date."

Clark Waterfall, co-founder and managing director of Boston Search Group, Inc., an executive search firm, also advises restraint.

"There's a fine line between being persistent and being a nuisance if you're networking and looking for work," he says. "And it's crucial, because once you cross that line, you can't go back. People will just screen you out."

So how should a job-hunter adjust his networking strategy? "If you're in a networking situation, listen for buzzwords that can lead you to the next connection," says Darling. "That's the real skill: steering the conversation, in this case toward a job-related topic."

For example, she imagines a conversation about restaurants. The mention of Pho Pasteur in Harvard Square is a good excuse for one person to say he's heard that City Sports in Harvard Square is looking for an assistant manager and ask if the other knows anyone who works there. And be prepared in case someone offers to help.

Waterfall advises job-hunting executives to go beyond networking events toward "getting involved and demonstrating your competence. The single best way of getting yourself out there is to volunteer with industry groups. Organize a panel, pull together a curriculum, show that you can get things done."
He also recommends asking friends and former colleagues to provide introductions.

Deb Rosenbloom, an executive recruiter with the Boston office of Russell Reynolds Associates, also emphasizes the value of using your connections.

"Many people think of career as a series of jobs," she says, "but it's really a set of relationships that include former colleagues, customers, vendors, and members of the board. The most successful executives recognize that."

And if you've neglected your networking, and you're jobless - is it too late? "Definitely not," she says. "Everybody has a network. It's just a question of when you last connected with them."