It seems like the setup for a lame joke

but in reality, if you think about a job seeker walking into a bar, you've got the perfect setup for understanding how to network.

Let me back up for a minute. . .

Right now, most people are either:

Worried about being laid off
Have been laid off OR
Don't really think it will happen to them, but still know it's a possibility

In any of these cases, you should be checking out your career options. (Truly, you should always be aware of your career options, but that's an email for another day.)

"Being aware of your career options" translates into:

Understanding what companies are out there
Who might be hiring
What the other companies are like
What those companies need
Knowing what's happening in your industry
How you and your skills fit into that landscape
And so much more. . .

There are several ways to learn about this, but one of the best ways is to talk to people. AKA networking.

➡ Enter the bar.

Now, you're not entering a literal bar (although, you might be.)

But chances are, your networking meeting will happen via Zoom, or in a coffee shop, or at a networking event, etc.

And the dreaded question comes up – "What do I say?"

☝️ This is when people start to freak out and decide that networking is not for them. The decision not to network (or to network badly or intermittently is the death nil for your career.)

Instead, ask yourself this: What if I met this person in a bar? And we were just having a casual conversation? If we discovered we both did the same kind of work, how would we proceed then?

❓ You might ask that person about their job.

❓ You might ask about what they're seeing in the industry.

❓ You might ask what conferences they've been to.

❓ What they like and don't like.

❓ What trends they're seeing.

❓ What challenges they're having.

❓ Their favorite things about their company.

You see where I'm going with this. . . there's a lot to talk about, if you don't feel so awkward about it.

Of course, you want to maximize your time and think strategically about the information you want.

You want to ask the best questions, and formulating the best questions for your situation makes sense.

But the most important thing to do – and your first objective – is to build rapport with the other person. Basically, you want to build a relationship.

So the next time you have to think about networking, don't get yourself all sick over it. 🤮

Seriously. Just imagine you were meeting the person in a bar, or some other casual situation. Get to know them like they are a real person. Because they are. And so are you.

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