Networking: Taking An Interest In Others

The infinite value of relationships regardless of whether it gets you a job

“Two people holding cups of coffee while seated opposite to each other at a round table” by Joshua Ness on Unsplash

I recently listened to episode 2 of the CodeNewbie podcast. It was an interview with Brian Douglas.

I loved his thoughts on networking, and contacting employers directly rather than going through the traditional channel of applying online. I had success previously with getting interviews this way. I had reached out to the EVP of a company I was interested in, and came to find out she had almost eighty resumes stacked on her desk for the position, and simply hadn’t had time to review them. In fact, she was thankful I had messaged her on LinkedIn, and scheduled an interview for the following week.

In the past I’ve shied away from this method of networking, feeling it to be insincere. That was until worked for a company, and in a position, that required me to network in this way to be successful. To simply take an interest in others, whether in person at conferences or online, like Twitter. I realized quickly that it wasn’t insincere, and that it was, in fact, in everyone’s best interest to do this.

“Best interest” because it create value, not just for you, but for the person you’re connecting with. Even if it’s with someone who may not have a job available for you (which is…