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Take 10 Minutes to Take Charge of Your Network

February 5, 2009 | Author: Jessica Howard | Filed under: The Networking Habit

Our last post introduced UpMo’s Network Readiness Evaluator - a 10-minute survey that helps you assess the state of your network.

If you’re questioning whether that time would be better spent choosing a new font for your resume, keep reading! Lisa Strand, UpMo’s Director of Methodology, developed this powerful tool from several surveys, hundreds of interviews with professionals and seriously scientific analysis.

The takeaway for users is a free, personalized “state of your network” report, which includes realistic advice (yes, even for those who HATE networking events). In this Q&A, Lisa explains how and why the Networking Readiness Evaluator can help you take your network by the reins.

1. What was the impetus for creating the Network Readiness Evaluator (NRE)?
Lisa Strand: So many professionals today are worried.  They’re worried about their job, their company, and their future.  Yet the number of them acting on that worry - to prepare themselves for what he future might bring - is surprisingly low.  We wanted to apply the research we’ve conducted around high-earning elite professionals to help those of us that could use more focus. The Network Readiness Evaluator is the first step in knowing whether your network is ready to support you – in both good and bad times – and what professionals can do to grow and/or foster professional relationships.

2. The NRE is definitely NOT a Cosmo-style quiz. What kind of research and methodology went into creating it?
Lisa Strand: Funny, at first it looks a bit like a quick, simple survey. Yet whittling down the many facets of a solid, prepared network involved three major survey efforts and hundreds of one-on-one interviews with both average and elite networkers.  We carefully evaluated the gap between average and elite professionals to look very specifically at what makes a professional ready for tough times vs. just plugging away at day-to-day work. We also conducted cluster analysis to understand the differences in how people network, so that the recommendations we provide are tailored to professionals that have different networking styles.

3. There’s all kinds of advice about networking and career development out there. How does the NRE provide users with something unique?
Lisa Strand: The NRE helps users in two ways.  First it provides users with the specific aspects of network readiness they excel at and/or struggle with.  Next, and arguably more importantly, it determines what your networking style is.  People are, and should be, unique in how they manage their professional relationships.  Because of this, a cookie-cutter approach to building relationships is not going to work, especially if you don’t excel at traditional networking activities.  We know — many of the elite professionals we’ve met with would rather have a root canal than swap business cards at a “networking” cocktail hour.

4. Is the NRE designed to be applicable to all kinds of professionals, or only corporate types?
Lisa Strand: Having a network that is ready to support you applies to all professions – and people, really.  The new moms I know, as an example, have found networking with other new moms invaluable to taking on their new job.  I don’t know that many of them use the term “networking” to describe getting to know other moms, but it really is.  In contrast, if you’re the CEO of a large organization, you need to keep a pulse on both executive leadership types AND the younger professionals you hire – because if your organization isn’t attracting the right young talent because you don’t have a pulse on what they’re attracted to your company won’t continue to thrive.  And, of course, for new moms that are CEOs of large organizations, you can only imagine how a strong network will help them!

5. Just say I’m a young job seeker whose network is almost non-existent. Is there any point in me using the NRE? Do I really need someone else to confirm that my network is non-existent?
Lisa Strand:  By taking the NRE, professionals will receive personalized, valuable insights.  Knowing your network isn’t big enough can be pretty obvious to many of us.  Knowing how to foster relationships in ways that are comfortable given your networking style is not so obvious - that’s where the NRE can help.  We encourage young job seekers to establish a networking habit early in life – and taking the NRE is a great, no-investment start onto a lifetime of fruitful professional growth.

Related Resources:

Interview: Networking Tips from a Strategic Job Hopper

Great Career Advice, Courtesy of Hollywood

Don’t End Up in the Networking Hall of Shame

Mentorship: Are You Lucky Like Carol Bartz?

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This entry was posted on Thursday, February 5th, 2009 and is filed under The Networking Habit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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