Networking for introverts - CSUSM · 2019-03-12 · Job search strategy Professional growth Expanding opportunities Relationship building Support from others Sharing resources. Networking

NETWORKING FOR INTROVERTS

Diana SanchezKarin Iwasaka

Student Affairs Professional Development ConferenceJanuary 10, 2019

Are you introverted or extraverted?◦ Picture

What are your perceptions of INTROVERSION?

POSITIVE◦ Good listeners◦ Keen observers◦ Curious

NEGATIVE◦ Shy, socially awkward◦ Poor communicators◦ Dislike being around people

Unleashing the Introvert’s Secret Power

1. Good listener: ask questions

2. Be a keen observer

3. Put your curiosity to work

What are your perceptions of NETWORKING?

POSITIVE◦ Relationship building◦ Connecting with people◦ Mutually beneficial

NEGATIVE◦ Draining; exhausting◦ Superficial; using people◦ Intimidating; anxiety provoking

◦ Network: A group of people who exchange information, contacts, and experiences for professional and/or social purposes

◦ Networking: The ongoing process of building and maintaining reciprocal, mutually beneficial relationships.

◦ Porter Gale’s Transformational Networking: “The new form of networking is not about climbing a ladder to success; it’s about collaboration, co-creation, partnerships, and long-term value-based relationships.”

Networking Defined

Benefits of Networking◦ Job search strategy

◦ Professional growth

◦ Expanding opportunities

◦ Relationship building

◦ Support from others

◦ Sharing resources

Networking Strategies for Introverts

◦ Prepare in advance◦ Develop conversation starters◦ Set reasonable expectations ◦ Join someone standing alone

or in a small group ◦ Go with a friend/colleague, but

spend some time apart

GROUP-BASED

Networking Strategies for Introverts

INDIVIDUAL◦ Determine your networking purpose◦ Conduct informational interviews◦ Volunteer for roles to build ongoing

connections◦ Utilize social media (e.g. LinkedIn)◦ Loose ties: sustain your relationships

Remember to always…◦ Build on your strengths (curious, reflective, observant)◦ Be an engaged listener and ask thoughtful, open-

ended questions◦ Create meaningful connections◦ Follow up within 72 hours (preferably within 24 for

informational interviews)◦ Set time aside before and after meeting with others

to recharge

Connecting is an ART

A: Associate – find common ground quicklyR: Reveal – share a story about yourself and encourage the sameT: Task – identify a future “to-do”

References◦ Taking the Work Out of Networking: An Introvert’s Guide to Making Connections that Count

◦ Karen Wickre (2018, Touchstone, New York, NY)

◦ Tips for Networking as an Introvert◦ Tiffany Waddell, National Association of Colleges and Employers (http://www.naceweb.org)

◦ The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World◦ Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D. (2002, Workman Publishing Company, Inc., New York, NY)

◦ The Networking Challenge◦ Lisa Hinkley, National Association of Colleges and Employers (http://www.naceweb.org)

◦ Networking for People who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected◦ Devora Zack (2010, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, CA)

◦ How to Keep Networking from Draining You◦ Jordan Valencia, Harvard Busines Review (https://hbr.org/2018/05/how-to-keep-networking-from-draining-you)