In an age where social networking is merely a mouse-click away, why do we need to spend our evenings flirting at the bar?

In the legal profession networking with peers is not only essential, it is expected. If you aspire to work in the best chambers you simply have to schmooze with the big-wigs. You have no choice. Social hermits are consigned to a career of maybes and what-ifs, so if you want the rewards getting yourself noticed in this incredibly traditional profession is, if you like, the law.

And this law should transcend to every other profession, industry and environment, where people are the central cogs. Long before email, text/micro messaging and social media, relationships were developed face-to-face. During the 80’s journalists squatted in pubs; the Constabulary dominated member’s clubs; and teachers coughed and choked their way through endless staff-room natters.

Old-boy networks

Nothing has changed. Old-boy networks still exist and human nature’s desire to develop trusting relationships remains. During the Second World War Winston Churchill insisted that all his secret meetings be conducted outside. “Walls have ears” he mused, and so Cabinet decisions were made during walks through his Chartwell home gardens.

Of course, we are not in the business of history-defining espionage but something can be taken from Churchill’s policy: whilst electronic mailing and digital interaction are an accepted (and required) dominance in today’s progressive society, would you ever make personal or business-critical decisions on the basis of written or rudimentary telephonic communication alone? I sincerely hope not.

Building trust

Relationships develop through trust. How can you really trust someone you have never met? You need to see the white’s of their eyes, feel the sincerity in a handshake and interpret how they present themselves before committing to a partnership. Most normal people wouldn’t get married before at least a first date and there ought not to be a difference in business relationships. People buy people and cutting through all the mustard it is the likeability factor that turns nothing into nuptials.

If you are looking to develop your career you need to find potential suitors. You need to hang out where your prospects do. Sure, use social media channels to identify where this is but then you go and find them, hunt them down. Media-types are notorious for skulking London’s West End bars, where their hedonistic drinking clubs are both revered and reviled, depending which camp you are in. So if you want a career in media & marketing, wouldn’t it make sense to identify the bars, pitch up a stool and get involved?

Better than a phone call

‘Putting a face to the voice’ may well be one life’s more trite sayings, but the meaning behind the adage resonates. A conversation on the phone is one thing but it is the non-verbal communication that makes it all the more personable. Gesticulation brings a voice to life; it gives it depth, emotion. You could never replicate this at the end of a phone line. So this is what makes meeting people so important and, in the context of the hiring process, essential. In today’s climate applying for a job is very much like a journey into the unknown. Where your CV ends up can be anyone’s guess and there is certainly no guarantee of progression, however skilled and experienced you might be.

What is for certain though is that you need to be doing something alternative to your competitors. You also need to be sticking your head that bit further above the parapet. Yes, you’ll get shot at but it will be but nothing a sturdy hat cannot repel.

Talking to someone face-to-face affords flexibility; it allows you the chance accentuate your thoughts and, therefore, your personality in a way that a static CV could never hope to achieve, however well crafted. And this, of course, is the premise of an interview. So what if you could take your naturally gregarious nature into a more relaxed, social environment; or an informal interview? Wouldn’t this allow you to show people who you are, what you do and, most importantly, what you can do for them?

Making new contacts

Careers fairs, trade shows, seminars, conferences, training courses and networking events: they all afford one common benefit: making new contacts. And this isn’t just about exchanging business cards – though this should be encouraged – it is about learning from peers and taking advantage of an accepted stage for self-promotion.

Social media works through the theory of altruism, whereby doing something for someone else for nothing pays dividends in the long-run. Social networking pushes benevolence to one side for that moment and is replaced by legitimate egocentricity. This is your chance to show your audience that what you can offer is better than anyone else, especially those reliant on the one-dimensional career assault of a CV application.

These days we are bombarded with opportunities to plug our skills. Whether this is via our Google accounts, professional networking streams such as LinkedIn; or social favourite, Facebook, we are more transparent and more visible to external viewers than ever before. Whilst on the one hand this presents wonderful opportunities for free PR, the connotations can be undetermined. Unless you track it (and of course you should where you can) you are never quite sure what people are saying about you. If the comments are negative, how do you provide positive retort?

Stand out from the crowd

Recruiters continually look at engaging with passive jobseekers; these are the folk that would move for the right role but have no immediate desire to change. These people are valuable because they usually demand increased incentives to move, thus the recruiter can charge a premium should they find them a new job. The advent of social media and other digital domains means individuals can easily be found, especially if they produce online content in the form of blogs or general opinion pieces. But being found is only a good thing if your metaphorical house is in order.

Developing ‘brand you’

Offline networking allows you to take control of your individual PR. Engaging face-to-face is proactive, productive and positive. People will appreciate the effort you have taken to replace your mouse with a voice and in return you will be rewarded with a bunch of new contacts to benefit today, tomorrow and in the future. Who knows, you might also get a new job out of it. And if you do it will prove that old-fashioned networking is an equal partner to the online application process, particularly when it comes to enhancing ‘brand you’ and increasing your career opportunities.

What’s the point of meeting people?  Where’s the purpose in not.

You can make yourself stand out at one of the networking events of the Only Marketing Jobs Regional Tour

Simon Lewis | Editor | Only Marketing Jobs

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