Rank and file: Manage your networking connections -- Career Center Blog

December 1, 2011

Rank and file: Manage your networking connections

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By Matt Youngquist
NWjobs

While I don't have an exact statistic in hand, I think it's safe to say that the "average" business professional likely meets at least a few hundred people each year, in passing. And for those folks who work in the sales, marketing or recruiting fields, I'd reckon the number is well north of that.

How many of these encounters, however, actually lead to ongoing relationships? How many of the casual acquaintances you meet do you manage to convert into a viable, valuable part of your professional network?

Recently, in speaking to a local industry group, I focused on this idea and tried to emphasize the importance of "managing your social capital" as an ingredient of modern career success. I pointed out that the majority of job leads and business deals today derive from personal relationships, despite (or perhaps due to) the dizzying rise of technology.

As a consequence, I encouraged them to start being systematic about their relationship-building efforts, versus just winging the process, as so many people still seem wont to do. I stressed that the usage of even a basic CRM tool or tracking system (e.g., an Excel spreadsheet) would work wonders in terms of improving their networking success.

The comment I made that rose the most eyebrows in the room, however, was when I mentioned that in my own networking system, I rank each person by two scores: influence and chemistry. As I meet various people around town, in other words, I make a note in my database (using a 1-5 scale) that indicates how well I felt I "clicked" with the person from a personal standpoint, as well as how connected the person appears to be in the local community.

On the surface, I realize this approach sounds highly Machiavellian. And I could sense that some members of the audience were uncomfortable with it. But is this approach really all that different than what each of us tends to do, every day, in the real world? As we bump into hundreds of people each year, don't we already decide, consciously or unconsciously, which relationships we wish to cultivate and which ones we're not all that interested in strengthening further?

In my opinion, the time has come for true success-minded professionals to stop taking their relationships for granted. It's time to start managing them, strategically, with the same level of seriousness with which we manage our financial capital. Personal connections, after all, are the currency the job market revolves around, and we meet far too many people to become bosom buddies with everybody.

The smart money is on individuals who focus on intentionally building strong ties with the right people -- those whose company they really enjoy, those who they feel could best enhance their career prospects, or, ideally, both!

Matt Youngquist is the president and founder of Career Horizons, a career counseling and corporate outplacement firm. Email him at myoungquist@nwjobs.com.

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Unknown Client | December 1, 2011 1:59 PM | Reply

Having worked with Matt before in career programs, I do believe he assigns scores to his clients and contacts based on what he perceives as their desirability factors. Matt's services seem to cater to affluent white male executives who are searching for positions after being downsized. Lesser mortals are naturally not as desirable as clients or for networking purposes.

Matt Youngquist | December 1, 2011 3:55 PM | Reply

Unknown Client: It sounds as if you’ve misinterpreted my column and the underlying spirit of the advice I was trying to share -- and if we have truly worked together in some formal capacity, please don't hesitate to e-mail directly so I can respond to your concerns.