The Hourglass of Networking: is your time running out?

The time is coming for another round of Graduates to get out into the market and find themselves a job. There is a lot of talk about the "Worst Graduate Employment figures in decades" (http://tinyurl.com/2fqfhz8). Now this may be true on paper but personally I think there is a mechanism which anyone who is willing can use in order to circumvent the increasingly difficult process of finding employment.

It all comes down to Networking. You dont have to look very far to find several forests worth of networking books which will all claim to give you the power to Network your way towards success (http://tinyurl.com/46x2u46). The topic is rarely even mentioned in the majority of Academic of Vocational courses during a Young persons education, yet it might actually be one of the most important skills you ever learn. Those who are proficient at the skill of social interactions in a Business context leave swathes of grandeur and vocal supporters behind them. Richard Branson is a great example. His "laser-focus eye contact" and unflappable conversation style is said to make him an extremely compelling speaker both on and off the podium (http://www.warrencass.com/what-richard-branson-can-teach-us-about-networking-by-ivan-misner/). Those who are poor at communicating in a Business function are either actively avoided, or if they are lucky, are simply allowed to fade into obscurity to work on their little chunk of the world without incident or growth. The truth of it is that no matter how good you are at Business or how much potential you are internalising, you need to be able to network for it to ever be realised.

Simply ask yourself this: what is the lasting impression you give when meeting someone for the first time in a Business Context? Human nature is to broadly categorise those who you can remember into positive and negative experiences either side of a margin of indifference. Now project this into your day to day experience. If you head to a Graduate Recruitment fair or trade show and meet 15 people who you have sustained conversations with, how many of them will remember you fondly or with interest out of the hundreds of others they have exchanged handshakes with that day?

Well I wont be writing any premium priced 'Black magic' motivational books on the subject any time soon, but I would say this, don't overlook the value of good old fashioned conversation. I see employment fairs and trade expos as blank canvas opportunities. Everyone at those events is looking to build bridges otherwise they would have stayed at home. Head out, head up, and just talk to people who look interesting, for as long as seems natural. In my experience this kind of initiation often leads to a wealth of opportunities which would otherwise seem impossible.

So how to make sense of your ever-increasing bank of contacts once you crack the networking paradigm? Well in my experience expansion of your Business network goes in repeating cycles, each one shaped like an hourglass. You start broad by approaching as many people as you can whilst your direction is fairly fluid. During developed conversations you hone in on a point of interest with a few key people and topics. You reach a point of epiphany at the neck of the hourglass where one or two valued contacts will provide key guidance or experience which will define you in some way. It is then time to use your new-found experience to throw yourself back into the mix and begin once again widening your network to discover new fields as you reach the top of the hourglass.

You might be surprised how many companies are still hiring, but if you don't ask you will never know.