Show Notes

Networking can present some new and unique situations, especially if you are looking for work. Andrew and Scott discuss the biggest mistakes to avoid when networking for jobs.

7 Mistakes To Avoid

Talking About Yourself Non-Stop

Not Asking Questions

Not Talking About Yourself At All

Not Asking For Referrals

Introducing Your Resume

Not Following Up

Demanding Employment

Resources (including affiliate links)

 4-Part Series on the Anatomy of a Networking ConversationJSR 015: The Set-Up

JSR 016: The Icebreaker JSR 017: The Question and AnswerJSR 018: The Ask 

iTunes: Rate and Review

Raw and Unedited Transcript

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00:00:00 - 00:05:01

Jobseeker's radio. I'm Andrew, and I'm Scott this production is meant to provide you meaningful support to find great careers faster. Whether you're working or not today job seekers radio we talk about mistakes to avoid win networking, right? The first thing that I tell people is something I have done. In fact, I I want to preface this that all of these mistakes. We're going to talk about today I've done and I have to both of us have. So I'm speaking from experience what not to do because it's usually embarrassing once I've realized that this what I've done and the first thing that came to mind when the question came up was talking about myself nonstop networking should be a two way street. So if I'm doing the talking that becomes a problem, and they talk you'll hear people talk about good communication is an eighty twenty. You do eighty percent listening and twenty percent talking. And then if you feel like it's fifty. Fifty probably been talking too much. I'm not gonna argue with that. I don't think the percentage is really important. But I find that my own style is one where I'm going to make connections that that's where I go. I and so as I'm talking to someone and they say something resonates with me. I don't take the time to really listen deeply to what they're saying. And ask them questions to dive in. What I what I instinctively do is connect by saying, oh, I did the same thing or I had a similar experience or you know, I have this commonality, and it's not because I'm trying to talk. It's that I'm trying to connect. But that doesn't always come across that way. Well in our insecurities come out to right. Oh, never do. Well, so here it is. You know, we're talking about ourselves because we're nervous were insecure. We don't know what we should be saying if we haven't done a lot of networking is really hard to not fill the air with something. Right something. What was most ourselves? So. Sometimes it just feels like you're talking non stop and the other person just kind of tuning out, maybe even looking at their phone looking over their shoulder. So just recognize that, you know, when you're talking too much when somebody just kinda glazes over and stops paying attention, and they're not engaged in any kind of dialogue. Right. So what do you do when you find yourself in that situation? Ask questions. Yep. Yep. So I mean, that's the second thing that we need to talk about his, hey, not asking questions is one of the biggest mistakes you can avoid when doing networking. Yes. And make sure that the questions that you ask actually make sense generally the best way to do that. As to ask a question based on what the other person just said, that's the definition of deep listening. You'll hear people talk about it as active listening, you want to allow at least for the time being the other person to guide the conversation, and you can do that by asking questions about. Oh, well, tell me more about that. Or how did that work out for you? Or, you know. What did you learn from that? And these are ways for that to keep them talking. But that you're truly interested because you're always listening to understand not just to reply course, that also leads to another mistake. And that is not talking about yourself at all. And that is huge for me.