The Naked MBA

Networking is a scary word. For me, it conjures up images of guys with slicked back hair, glad-handing and passing out business cards or playing golf in funny looking pants. Nothing about it sounds natural or fun. Before business school I never gave any thought to networking. As far as I was concerned, I didn’t have a network; I had friends and friends of friends. I didn’t “network”, I just hung out with people who introduced me to other people. I talked about things I was interested in, and if I had those things in common with other people I met we exchanged emails or phone numbers. I didn’t shake hands and I didn’t have business cards.

Thus imagine my distaste when I got to bschool and found I had to attend a mandatory workshop on networking. I pictured some used car salesman teaching us the art of schmoozing through a crowded room of complete strangers. Then during the first five minutes of the workshop it hit me: I already knew how to network. I had been doing it all along. When I found an apartment in my favorite neighborhood through my ex-roommate’s cousin, I was networking. When I got free tickets to see my favorite band because I knew someone who knew the drummer, I was networking. My friends and their friends were my network. What I had going for me was that I was already interested in people; I liked to chat and find out about people’s lives and interests, particularly if they were different than mine. I just had to transfer these skills to a professional environment.

People tell you all kinds of things about how to network, but the most important thing is that you need to be able to meet new people. It doesn’t have to be a formal activity. Networking means striking up a casual conversation and getting people to talk about themselves until you find a common ground, whether it’s a shared interest or an acquaintance you have in common. And people love to talk about themselves so it’s not that difficult to get them started. Think about the last time you chatted with the person in line behind you at the supermarket, or when you met someone new at a friend’s dinner party. That’s networking. You don’t need golf pants or slicked back hair; you already know how to network.

Although nothing trumps a face-to-face conversation with someone, those of us who are part of the increasingly antisocial stay-at-home-and-surf-the-web generation have invented a new way to connect to people: online social networking. Sites like LinkedIn, Doorstang and others are now mandatory for successful networking and career development. If you’ve never used one of these sites, the co-founder of LinkedIn has some tips for you on how to get the most out his service.

By going to bschool you are already part of an amazing network, so one of the most important things you can do is develop and maintain these connections. You will spend two years with a bunch of talented, ambitious people who will have successful, interesting careers in all corners of the world. Get to know as many of them as you can during bschool, and keep in touch after graduation. You never know where people will turn up again later on.