Wednesday, August 28 - "Networking Is Boring"

Good morning!

Just checking in you. How’s your week been thus far?

Here’s what’s on the job description for today:

1. A small, mental health startup in London is looking to fill two positions.

2. Violet asks, “I find the networking calls quite boring. Is this just part of the process?”

IN HIRING

Inside Out

• Using a combination of research and technology, the company aims to provide businesses with a way to improve the mental health of their employees.

• The company is quite small with only ~30 employees but with two interesting roles.

• Here are a few of the most interesting roles available

  • Sales Manager, Growth - Click here for full details

  • Growth Lead: Sales and Marketing - Click here for full details

TODAY’S QUESTION

Violet asks, “I find the networking calls quite boring. Is this just part of the process?”

Recommendation: If you’re finding it boring, then it may be there is too much focus on getting a referral and too little focus on your natural curiosity. Here is what I’ve seen work:

• Start all your networking calls or coffee-chats with an agenda, even if it’s basic. Let them know that you’ll start with introductions, then discuss their experiences and get to know each other, and end with any next steps.

  • By saying you’ll end with next steps, it takes the pressure off during the rest of the meeting.

• Most importantly, try and find things about the person, their experiences, or the company that you truly find interesting.

  • This mostly comes down to 10 minutes of preparation before meetings and reviewing their personal LinkedIn and Google’ing news related to the company. Focus the conversation around these things rather than on the topics they always get asked about like work culture.

• Finally, re-think the way you start the conversations. I noticed with a current client that when she started these conversations or even interviews with more interesting discussions, outcomes improved.

  • When they ask how are you or how your weekend was, don’t say “good”. Instead, tell them what you’ve been up to and ask them if they’ve ever been where you’re at or done what you did over the weekend. It get’s things warmed up.

Conclusion:

Networking sucks an extra level of suck if it’s boring. Pursue the areas of conversation you actually find interesting for better outcomes.

Get your question answered by replying to this email (or just say hi 😊).