When I think of networking I think of handing out business cards and going to lame networking events where one is forced to "work the room" speed dating style. Neither of these appeals to me and my introvert personality. However, in reading more about networking, I realized there is a much broader definition of the term and that I could network and still be true to myself. Networking is defined as "meeting an extended group of people to form mutually beneficial relationships that provide assistance and support over time." If you expand the term meeting to include social networking sites and interpret a group of people to mean many people but one at a time, it doesn't sound quite so intimidating. We network every single day without even realizing it. Now is your time to use those opportunities to your benefit.
Looking back, I realize that I found my last two jobs through networking. When I was finishing fellowship and still without a job, I got a page one afternoon from the pediatric residency program director. She asked me if I was still looking for a job and of course I told her yes. She mentioned that the head of the neonatology division had called her because a position opened up and he asked her if she knew of any good candidates. She immediately thought of me. Prior to this, I had only spoken to her one other time about something unrelated so was flattered that she even remembered me. She gave me his phone number, I called and told him she sent me, I interviewed, and he offered me the job on the spot. You never know when a brief interaction with someone of status will lead to an opportunity. Even if you never think you will interact with that person again, put your best foot forward. Always. When looking for my next job, I remembered that a resident I had worked with in Chicago was currently living in Madison and working as a hospitalist. I had run into her a few months before at the Pediatric Hospital Medicine conference and mentioned that I would be looking for a job soon. She raved about her position and her coworkers but I didn't really think much of it because I had my heart set on leaving the Midwest. Six months later I thought about her and decided to inquire about a position in Madison just in case I didn't find a job I wanted in a warmer climate. Much to my husband's dismay, the job turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. She put in a good word for me and here I am, one year and a snowblower later.
My take on the concept of networking is this: grab every opportunity, accept every invitation you can, sit on panels and committees, volunteer for tasks nobody else has the time for, explore possibilities even briefly, teach classes, write blogs, and sell yourself. That is the essence of networking and that is how you are ultimately going to own your success.
