It’s Time for Professional Women to Reinvent the Concept of Networking
For the longest time, I dreaded networking like I’d dread a root canal procedure at the dentist. Everything about it, from entering a room filled with strangers to introducing myself without stepping all over my words, would make me want to run back under my covers with a solid pint of sea salt caramel ice cream. And I know I’m not alone….
For many professional women, networking is not exactly at the top of their favorite corporate sports.
When it comes to the benefits of networking, our male colleagues tend to get the upper hand. Not to mention the fact that with all our other obligations at home and in life in general, hanging out at the bar after-hours isn’t always an option. Neither is swinging a golf set in the middle of the afternoon…And it certainly doesn’t help that the most common places and ways to network have been predominantly set by men. And this may very well be the reason why networking still fails women in general…
I remember talking to female colleagues at work, as we’d pretty much all complain about having to go to some networking event or another. For many of us young moms, that’d also mean having to delegate POD (Parent-On-Duty) responsibilities for the evening, including pick-up, bath time, and dinner…Or miss the kids’ bedtime…So we’d devise more or less smart strategies to try and get out of the event as early as we could, to reduce the impact at home. As a result, more often than not, we wouldn’t enjoy the event and would end up stuck in a corner with familiar faces, instead of mingling, having fun, and making valuable career connections.
Hindsight 20/20, while it may not have been the most career-forward approach at the time, it was, and still is, a reality many women at work are confronted with. In a modern world where women are representing an increasingly larger share of the corporate world, a skill as invaluable as networking is still based on traditional (and somewhat sexist) patterns set by men decades ago. Networking, especially at the executive level, is still largely done after-hours, in what appears to be exclusive circles reserved to a lucky few.
Yet, even as women are rising in the corporate world, the reality still is that we still carry a significant part of the responsibilities on the home front. Additionally, considering that we’ve been kept out for the longest time of some of the most exclusive networking groups aka the proverbial “boys’ clubs”, we’ve also been indirectly conditioned to perceive networking as outside of our gender, so to speak. Doesn’t then the very concept need to be re-invented and re-adapted to a more fitting reality for both men and women at work?
Through my own experience and by watching the evolution of networking in mine and others’ careers, especially women’s, it seems it’s been about time for professional women to re-invent the concept of networking (and why we may need to do less and network more):
NETWORKING IS NOT AN EXCLUSIVE PRIVILEGE RESERVED TO A FEW
It starts with making networking more accessible to everyone, and especially to professional women, regardless of grade or title. The only way to get better at any skill is to practice it, and networking is no exception. However, many networking events are reserved for higher-level employees, or accessible only through dues and payments, which serves greatly to discourage many women from joining. As a result, some of the valuable resources shared during these events, as well as the instrumental connections made, are not accessed by most.
What if companies could invest in setting up both formal and informal networking opportunities for their employees on a more or less regular basis? Or if some exclusive networking associations would make their membership fees more affordable, and open their doors to more professional women?
Providing incentives for professional women to view networking as an essential skill they have access to develop would change the face of both companies and women’s careers.
NETWORKING SHOULD BE PERVASIVE TO ALL ASPECTS OF OUR CAREERS; IF YOU’RE WORKING, YOU’RE NETWORKING!
Not being able to make it to the bar after-hours, or to the golf club, should not preclude anyone, especially professional women, from accessing great professional networks. Unfortunately, it’s too often the case. Somehow, we’re conditioned to believe and act as if effective networking is dependent upon a specific place and time.
Instead, it should be based on the simple principle that “if you’re working, you’re networking.” Any work interaction, whether at meetings, informal gatherings, or even the trivial exchange of emails, is an opportunity to network. It’s a chance to come into contact with other professionals, exchange resources, and keep in touch, aka “networking”.
Considering women tend to be more collaborative in their work approach, incorporating this principle would benefit us greatly! What if more women understood this simple principle, and leveraged their daily interactions to build their own network regularly? And what if companies stressed more the importance of regularly networking as a part of our careers, instead of reserving it for the company summer or holiday party?
WOMEN’S GROUPS ARE THE FIRST STEP TO GETTING MORE WOMEN TO MORE ACTIVELY NETWORK
I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in exceptional women’s groups, like Ellevate Network for instance. Through m y experiences networking with women, I’ve noticed how much more comfortable we can be interacting with other professional women. Sharing our common experiences, struggles and victories, makes it easier to relate to each other and be inspired to progress and create change.
Women’s networking groups like these can be a crucial first step for many women into the world of professional networking. So many women who may be intimidated to attend certain professional events, may be more drawn towards these. In turn, they may develop their networking skills, and be inspired by other women creating change in their own professional spheres.
Which in turn creates a snowballing effect as it encourages more and more women to come forward, develop their skillset, and have the initiative to join, or even create, other networks. We all have to start somewhere, and starting in women’s networking groups or associations may just be the ticket for many of us…
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