As a young professional, my idea of networking meant wearing a business suit, attending large-scale events, and scheduling lunch meetings. The sound of this was intimidating and not an area of interest for me. Although the above may be true, over the years I learned that networking is definitely so much more and doesn’t have to be as daunting as many of us imagine.  As an introvert, I found it very difficult to see myself as a networker or being someone that knew how to schmooze.  It always seemed so inauthentic and I felt that I wasn’t very good at it anyway.  As I look back at my career, I have realized that I have always been a networker but in a way that I never imagined.  I like to connect with people on a personal level and have always been able to build “meaningful relationships”.

As a 26 year old director for a small office at a private community college, I wanted to prove my value and learn everything possible to be effective in my role.  I decided that the best way to do that was to attend meetings outside of the organization and learn best practices from other professionals in my industry. I didn’t quite have a strategy, but winged it as I went along- it was trial and error and that was okay.

Attending a random morning meeting

So there I was an early careerist, nervous out of my mind as I waited to introduce myself in front of other established professionals. I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest as I waited for my turn to speak. As I sat there, I listened closely to everyone’s introduction and just fascinated by the work people were doing. There was one woman in particular that stood out to me. She talked about her leadership role and the programs her department offered at the city college she worked for.  I genuinely wanted to know more.

The ladies room

During the mid-meeting break I headed over to the ladies room.  As I washed my hands, the woman stood beside me freshening up in front of the mirror.  Without hesitation I simply turned to her and said “wow, I am inspired by all of the work and programs you are managing at your institution”. You see, I have an admiration for people that are involved in programming that align with my professional mission, so it wasn’t difficult for me to engage in conversation with her.  This broke the ice and she continued to talk about the programs.  Within 2 minutes she asked me about my background and as I explained my work, she dug into her purse, pulled out her business card and asked me to send her my resume. What? I wasn’t even looking for a job! I did not want to pass up this opportunity, so I went along with it.  Later that day, I followed up and sent her my resume.  After a few days, I got a call from her office inviting me to interview for a position under her leadership – she was an assistant dean. It hit me, I totally landed a job interview through an exchange of a few words in the ladies room.

The moral of the story

Networking is everywhere, even in the ladies room!  All kidding aside, I have recognized that being genuinely interested in someone, knowing how to connect and stepping out of my comfort zone, has given me the networking formula that works for me.  Simple and genuine conversations can lead to so many things.  Networking is a two-way street and it doesn’t have to be “slimy”.

A few takeaways

This is one of many stories where I have encountered opportunities with a few simple things in mind:

• Being a good listener and genuinely interested in learning about others
• Having an updated resume at my fingertips
• Being prepared with my “30 second intro”
• Stepping out of my comfort zone by attending events with professionals in my field
• Following-up

So did I get the job?  No…. it wasn’t a good fit for me and I decided to stay at my organization (I had only been there for a year after all).  But it was a great experience and I took away some valuable learning lessons…