Networking is like a garden, part II

So I read this post on networking, from career coach @JoanSchramm, whose Twitter following I truly envy, and the following really stuck out:

The secret to being an effective networker is to do things for other people, not to expect them to do things for you. The time to build your network is before you need it. Remember — every time you reach out to others and provide a service or share useful information, you’re sending the message that you’re thinking about them and that they are important to you. Do this on a regular basis and when the time comes that you need your network, it will already be there for you.
I totally agree. However, sometimes you find yourself out of a job and your network isn't built out yet. Whaddaya do? You start "gardening." A good network is like a garden, you have to put a lot in before you get anything out. You plant a seed, you water it and fertilize it and in time, many of the plants will bear fruit. The key words are "in time." If your networking starts with doing favors for others, before asking them to do for you, then you are planting seeds and tending the garden, and you will have a bountiful harvest. If you go to a networking event and ask ask ask without offering anything, that's like dropping seeds into the ground and then immediately demanding the harvest. It just doesn't work that way. That is the slot machine mentality, not the gardener's mentality.

So, bottom line, as hard as it may seem, if you find yourself laid off, is start tending the garden, but don't demand results. The results will come, though, if you tend the garden.


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