Don’t let one unsuccessful Networking experience be a negative teaching moment
Bob McIntosh
?? I’m on the frontline fighting The Good Fight against unemployment ◆ Career Coach ◆ LinkedIn Trainer ◆ Candorful Volunteer ◆ LinkedIn Contributor ◆ Avid Walker ?? LinkedIn Top Voices #LinkedInUnleashed?
Experiences can be positive or negative teaching moments based how you look at them. A vivid experience in my life that stays with me to this day was when my father told me on one occasion not to brag. From then on I stopped bragging; this experience taught me humility.
Another experience in my life was when I didn’t make it to the “Big Ball” as a high school teacher. Back then if you successfully survived your third year, you earned tenure. I gave up on teaching and often wish I hadn’t. This was a negative teaching moment.
There are times when job seekers give up, throw in the towel, after one unsuccessful networking experience. These times epitomize negative teaching moments.
Case in point was a job seeker who I met at one networking event I led. He looked discouraged as he was putting on his jacket on the way out.
I asked him how the event had gone. He told me that it hadn’t gone well; didn’t get anything out of it he told me. I should have done him a solid by telling him that one unsuccessful networking event shouldn’t deter him.
Come back again and again and again. You shouldn’t expect immediate gratification. Alas, I let him walk away to never return for another networking event. He saw this as an unsatisfying experience, a negative teaching moment.
It’s where you network that forms your experiences
Where job seekers network can form their positive and negative experiences. Many are under the impression that networking only consists of attending formal events where large groups of other job seekers gather to share advice and seek opportunities.
Coach | Father | Entrepreneur
3 年Love this article, thanks for sharing!
Amartist, ecosociable searcher, philosopher, musician. Partially impaired, by accident. Sanopeaceguardian, antitoxwar. Truth is at midearth/midway. Be cosmoterrianly polite!
3 年- Carpe diem. - Festina lente. Slow down. Protection before production. Protectivity before productivity. Peace and pansophy,
Versatile Software Engineer and Technology Industry Champion
3 年So much we can get into here (as is often the case ?? ) The highlight for me is that it just means you cross one possibility off the list, as there are many options at least in the greater Boston area. And of course, as we have talked about often, a big part of the "networking is ongoing" message is that networking must continue even when one has landed a job. In fact, save for the time factor (a not-insignificant one, of course), it's even easier to do so at that point because you can do so with no pressure to get a result sooner rather than later - you can build relationships without something in the back of your mind.
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3 年the feeling you get from networking. beating your head against the door repeatedly with no result. you see job seekers. especially those unemployed need results. which networking can resolve given "Time". Time which they may not have as they are not financially able to wait for others to listen to their plight. Networking in this instance is putting on a mask and shadowboxing because we are told Don outright ask you need to beat around the bush and provide inferences that maybe someone hears and tosses you a crumb. networking becomes the beat down. since the emotions inside have to be suppressed to show the mask of Happiness and Joy.
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3 年Don’t quit before the miracle happens!!