Grow your network like a spy

Recruiting spies is a lot like finding a spouse, it turns out. When I first joined the Central Intelligence Agency, I distinctly remember sitting in a lecture in the Bubble on the recruitment cycle. The instructor made a compelling, if a bit horrifying, comparison to dating.

Imagine being 22 years old and approaching dating like a CIA Officer. You're looking for a candidate that's maybe a bit damaged (and therefore more willing to accept what's on offer) and has access to something you want. The whole time you're trying to woo them, you repeatedly test them in big and small ways because you don't trust them. From the start, you're planning for the eventual demise of the relationship. Add in a strong dash of secrecy and power dynamics... no wonder the divorce rate at the CIA is so high.

The recruitment cycle in a nutshell

Spot. Assess. Develop. Recruit. Turnover.

1. Spot: Put yourself in places where potential assets hang out. Look for folks with the right access to what you need (e.g., government, technology, information, people).
2. Assess: Once you've identified your target, do your research. Are they suitable for recruitment? Do they actually have the access they claim to have? What is their weak spot (e.g., gambling addiction, medical challenge requiring special care, a secret second family)?
3. Develop: You've decided your target has the right access and disposition, and isn't working for the adversary. It's time to make friends. They love playing tennis at a particular gym every weekend. Now, so do you. Establish trust and start nudging them toward doing, at first little, then big tasks for you.
4. Recruit: They've proven they can follow instructions. They're discrete and reasonably trustworthy. Time to pop the big question and make the relationship official. "You do XYZ for us, and we'll pay you."
5. Turnover: Have you met Ted? Every Ops Officer moves on eventually so you need to hand this asset over to your replacement to carry on the relationship. Or let them go entirely if what they produce no longer serves your needs.

Maybe not the best way to encourage a bunch of eager twenty-somethings to find a life partner. The mindset is, you have something I want, so I'm going to find a way to establish a connection with you, then I'll turn what you think is a real connection into a very transactional (and potentially dangerous) relationship with an end date.

Perhaps a better comparison would have been the employee lifecycle. Attract. Recruit. Onboard. Develop. Retain. Separation. At least with this lifecycle, both parties enter the relationship understanding the true nature and ultimate goal: services in exchange for a salary. To be fair to the instructor, at that point in most of our lives, we hadn't actually experienced the full employee lifecycle, whereas dating was a pretty universal experience.

Tools of the trade

Back to you and your network. There a couple of tools from the spy recruitment framework that are particularly useful when building a professional network.

Let's get one thing out of the way first. It's ok to be a bit selfish. We can admit that part of growing our professional networks is self-serving. At some point in the near or distant future, you'll want career support from your network. This could be to learn from an admired mentor, get referred to a dream job, or be connected with someone through a mutual contact. The key is remembering not to use the people in your network; they are not just a pool of resources you can pull from at any given time without putting in just as much effort and energy you receive. Any exchange can and should be mutually beneficial.

Just something to keep in mind as you build your network like a spy.

1. Targeting: Instead of sending out LinkedIn requests to everyone who comes across your feed, take a look first at your own career goals. Are there particular companies or industries you're interested in? Do you have a certain type of person you'd like to work with. Are there already people on your professional fangirl list? (Here's looking at you Brené Brown.) Spies have their tools, we've got LinkedIn Premium and good ole Google. Start there.
2. Bumping: I'm only going to say this once: don't be creepy. Do not find out where your work crush drinks their morning coffee and then go sit there every morning until they walk in so you can greet them with fake surprise and their favorite latte. When I mean is, attend events, conferences, training, and Meetups where you're most likely to meet the type of folks you'd like to include in your network. Want to meet more young professionals? Join an intramural kickball league. Want to meet other working moms? Check for local Facebook groups. Want to expand your business profile? Attend your local Chamber of Commerce meetings. Currently in PR but want to move into Communications? Attend a virtual or live conference for communicators. You'll "bump" into amazing people to grow your network and may even make some friends.
3. Pitching: Sending a cold pitch to a new or unknown contact through LinkedIn can be tricky. Some folks don't check their inbox or may be turned off by what seems like a generic message. A sure way to be ignored is to come off as pushy, self-serving, or salesy. Be direct, customize your message for each person, show you understand what the other person is about, only ask for one thing. Even better, warm up the pitch by first commenting on or sharing something they wrote. Here's how I approach a cold pitch in the DMs: "Hi [name], I read your article on [xyz] and it really resonated with my experience in [xyz]. I couldn't agree more that [xyz] is going to be key going forward. I'd love to join your network."
4. Build rapport: This is cringe to say. But, yes, building rapport can help establish trust. Finding common ground, mutual acquaintances, and other shared histories goes a long way to making real human connection. My advice here is to nurture new and established connections by being open and vulnerable in a way that feels authentic to you. Don't let your network grow cold and only pop up when you need something. I recommend setting aside 30 minutes on Fridays to dedicate to reaching out to your network, send kudos, schedule a 1:1 with someone to catch up, or interact with content on LinkedIn.

The Law of Reciprocity

One of the laws of human nature is that if you do something nice for someone, they're more likely to do something nice for you in return. When approaching your growing network, if the Law of Reciprocity feels a bit icky to you, try on the Golden Rule. Treat others the way you wish to be treated. Either way, when it comes to humans, you'll get back what you put into any relationship.

Grow your network like a spy by intentionally looking for and approaching the people who can support your current and future career goals. Also, grow your network like a human by building authentic and meaningful two-way relationships with other humans.

#makeworksuckless #networking #recruiting #employeelifecycle

Disclaimer: I was not a Case Officer and I recruited exactly zero assets. I've shared a very basic look at the recruitment cycle. You can find a lot of great information online about how human intelligence (HUMINT) works. Or, you can watch The Americans and Jack Ryan.