Careers in International Affairs, Eighth Edition

3 Networking

3 Networking Maria Pinto Carland AT SOME POINT, we lift our heads, leave our books, and abandon the library in search of good conversation. This is because a great deal of our learning comes from questions and answers, talking and listening. The information we accumulate in this fashion is valuable, precisely because it is not in the books and papers on our desks. Because you are the one who elicited it, the information you collect is unique to you. But that is not all. Conversations that involve learning and teaching are a means to form relationships, and they create an image of ourselves in other people’s eyes. This is networking. And when it comes to careers, networking is absolutely necessary. This chapter is about networking: how to do it, what you get out of it, and what to do with it. What Is It All About? Career networking begins when you move beyond reading about a career field and begin relating to the people in it. This should start before your actual job search, when what you need is not only information but assistance . You need to reach out. You need contacts who can provide advice and details, some of whom may eventually become mentors and friends. Learning about a career from someone who is actually doing the job, and having the chance to ask questions as you listen, is very different from reading a text. You are no longer in the library, you are out in the world— introducing yourself, meeting people, and especially listening and deciding how you can use what you learn. Networking is like advertising and marketing a product that is needed but that no one knows about. You are the product, and as we discussed in chapter 1, you need to know exactly who you are and what you have to offer before you can start selling. Then you need to be clear about what field (or fields) you want to enter and which employers in that field are 27 28 • Networking hiring. Next, you need to choose a marketing strategy and plan your advertising. You will learn from your networking that certain employers need you—your skills, education, and experience. But they have never heard of you, and they are not looking for you—and if they were, they might not even know where to find you. Networking is the solution to their problem and yours. Learning about a career from someone who is actually doing the job, and having the chance to ask questions as you listen, is very different from reading a text. You want to learn about international careers, and you have narrowed it down to several—say, development nongovernmental organizations (the nonprofit sector) and development consulting firms (the private sector ). You have read about them, and you are ready to get to know them— and, equally important, ready for them to get to know you. The latest statistics say that only 4 percent of new hires are unknown to the employer. Your goal, like that of any good advertiser, is for your name— the product—to be on everyone’s lips and on everyone’s minds, especially when there is a job opportunity that is right for you! What they think and say about you builds an image of you: you solving a problem, serving a client, saving the day. At the same time, you are gaining ‘‘street savvy’’—learning what is going on in your field of interest; what the latest trends are, what has changed recently, and what the major issues are. You are also accumulating assurance that your interest in the field is appropriate for your background , and your new insights allow you to change your focus as you learn. As any successful advertiser can tell you, sometimes a good product is marketed to the wrong audience. When this happens, you need to readjust your strategy and find the right audience. This is not a defeat or even a setback, because in the process, you learn a great deal—about both yourself and the field you thought you were interested in—and that information can be saved for when it is needed later. . . . And rest assured, it will come in handy some day. In the words of the old song: Pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. Start all over again! How Do You Do It? How do you understand the product, plan a marketing strategy, advertise, and sell? The first thing is to always remember...