There are a few pernicious myths about networking: People tell us to "talk to anyone" (Okay…where do we start?), yet they have no real guidance for what to say. Who are these people we're supposed to meet? Where do we find them? And why would they want to talk to us?
Yet it's also clear that networking is one of the most important things you can do for your career. Instead of blasting our business cards out to random people at "networking events," I recommend finding a few people who have done what you want to do (e.g., worked at the company you want to work for). Study them intensely by searching online and using LinkedIn to see how you're connected. It typically takes me 2-3 hours to do research on someone I want to meet before I email them — but I usually get a 90%+ response rate. From there, take baby steps to build a relationship. I cover the exact steps — including the exact email scripts to use — in my Natural Networking blog post.
A lot of people are blasting out their resumes right now in hopes they will get a job. What would you say to them?
If you're sending out resume after resume, you've already lost. There's a game being played around you that you don't even realize. Top performers invest time up front to understand exactly which companies they want to target, then they relentlessly find warm connections to these companies through Natural Networking. (And yes, everyone has a network.) By the time they're ready to submit an application, it goes through a warm contact and is disproportionately likely to result in a job offer.
Compare this to people who send out resume after resume, hoping and praying that they'll get a job. It may feel productive, but when millions of other people are doing the same thing, you don't want to be playing that game.
Dan Schawbel is the managing partner of Millennial Branding, a Gen Y research and management consulting firm. Subscribe to his updates at Facebook.com/DanSchawbel.