Best Practices

Professional networking involves a lot more 0:00 than following people online or shaking hands at an event. 0:03 Networking is about making connections 0:06 that result in true value. 0:08 Whether it's a constructive discussion 0:10 across social networks or blogs 0:13 or collaborating with someone you've just met at a workshop, 0:15 networking only works 0:18 if the connections remain active, 0:20 and you stay involved. 0:22 For some more thoughts on professional networking, 0:24 we're joined once again by author C.C. Chapman. 0:27 So a lot of the designers and developers out there 0:30 that are members 0:33 may have never been to an industry event or workshop. 0:35 There's tons of them all over the place, 0:39 whether you want to learn code 0:42 or go to something that's a little bit bigger like a South by Southwest or something. 0:44 So if people have never been to events before, 0:47 what are some of the advantages and the opportunities 0:50 that are available for people 0:53 when they go to professional events? 0:55 [C.C. Chapman] Well the great thing about an event—doesn't matter the size or the scope of it— 0:57 is you're going to meet these people you've only connected with online. 0:59 You're going to have these new connections with people 1:02 that go beyond just a Like or a Share or a comment on your blog. 1:05 Plus if it's a good event, you're going to be learning about what's going on in the industry. 1:08 You're going to find out the latest technology, 1:12 who the thought leaders are, who the players are. 1:14 Usually the speakers at an event— 1:16 they bring in people to speak for a reason. 1:19 There are going to be people you're going to want to meet and connect with 1:22 and get your stuff in front of and maybe work with or learn from. 1:25 So getting out from behind your computer 1:27 and getting to events is crucial, 1:29 and it doesn't matter if it's just a networking event 1:31 at a bar down the street 1:33 or something larger where you get on a plane to travel to attend. 1:35 [Dan Gorgone] And there really is something very special 1:37 about going to an event and meeting people in person 1:40 for the first time, 1:43 and it's more than just putting the face to the name, 1:45 because everyone's got their avatars—you see what they look like, 1:48 but actually going and speaking to them in person 1:51 and talking about whatever— 1:54 sometimes all it takes is small talk, 1:56 sometimes it takes a really constructive discussion 1:58 about something that's going on—a project, a client, something like that, 2:02 and then you can really make that connection 2:05 that can lead to more, right? 2:07 [C.C. Chapman] For sure. 2:09 I mean, some of the best friendships and business partnerships 2:11 or client work I've done 2:14 has been from just meeting someone at a restaurant after an event 2:16 or seeing them speak 2:19 or even just sitting next to the person at an event 2:21 while waiting for a session to start. 2:24 Say hello to strangers, whether you're in the coffee line 2:26 or you're sitting and waiting for the session to start, 2:28 because you have no idea who the person sitting next to you is. 2:30 I mean, they could be the CEO of a company. 2:33 They could be another fellow designer. 2:35 Make those contacts, say hello to them, and start talking, 2:37 because you never know where it's going to go, 2:40 and it may not lead to something tomorrow 2:42 but 6 months, a year, longer down the road 2:44 it could lead to something really great. 2:46 [Dan Gorgone] And this is another example, too, 2:48 where professionalism really comes into play. 2:50 I mean, there's—because part of it is showing up, showing up on time, 2:53 showing up looking professional and not like a big slob, 2:58 but a personal example for me, 3:02 I used to work for a company 3:04 that had a lot of energy clients—energy businesses, 3:06 and I was helping out at an event, 3:11 and a gentleman came up to me— 3:13 I didn't know who any of these people were— 3:15 came up to me and he said, "Oh, can you point me towards the registration table?" 3:17 I said, "Oh, sure, sir. Go right this way. It's right over there. Happy to help." 3:20 Turns out he's the CEO of a billion-dollar energy company, right, 3:25 and wasn't I really glad when I found out later 3:29 that as a representative of the company I was working for 3:32 that I didn't embarrass myself, I didn't embarrass the company, 3:35 but actually I was doing my job, 3:38 and I was really just being professional, 3:41 being myself, and being helpful. 3:44 Now that's when you're representing a company. 3:46 When you're representing yourself, it's a lot of the same issues, right? 3:49 [C.C. Chapman] It's all the same issues, right? 3:52 I mean, our parents taught us to be good people, 3:54 to act a certain way 3:56 and not be bad about it, 3:59 and you do not know, especially in this world—in the tech sector especially— 4:01 you have no idea who's a CEO, who's not, 4:04 because it's not the— 4:07 in the old days when the white-haired older gentleman 4:09 with the blue suit and the—no! 4:11 You don't know who they are, 4:13 so just be good to everybody, be professional, 4:15 be helpful and courteous, 4:17 shake hands, say hello, 4:19 don't say something inappropriate. 4:21 All those things can come back to haunt you really fast, 4:23 especially in today's world, right? 4:26 It's a 2-second text message to the world, 4:28 and that can hurt you so bad, so fast, 4:30 and your reputation is all you've got. 4:34 Our parents used to warn us about developing a bad reputation. 4:36 As a parent, I'm trying to teach my kids— 4:39 don't worry about developing a bad reputation. 4:42 Work on just always developing a good reputation, 4:45 because once you get a good reputation, 4:47 it's invaluable. 4:49 [Dan Gorgone] Absolutely. 4:51 When you're out at events, 4:53 being able to network with other professionals 4:55 is key, 4:58 and the people that are having those same struggles that you are— 5:00 it's such a great opportunity 5:02 to just bounce ideas off each other, 5:04 tell war stories, and just be like, 5:06 "Aw, man, what I'm experiencing is not all that different 5:08 from what other people are struggling with." Right? 5:12 But when you go out there and you do have opportunities 5:14 to approach speakers, to approach people who 5:17 you sort of think, "Oh, they're at a different level. 5:20 Oh, they're a web celebrity" or something like that, 5:23 is it really all that challenging? 5:26 How do you approach someone like that? 5:28 [C.C. Chapman] They're no different. 5:31 Listen, I don't care who you are, 5:33 you're still just a human, right? 5:35 That person that's up on stage— 5:38 that person that to you is a rockstar 5:40 is still just another person, 5:42 and more often than not— 5:44 I speak at probably 50 or 60 events a year, 5:46 and I always giggle when people are like, 5:48 "C.C., you looked really busy. I didn't know if I could approach you," 5:50 because I'm the most approachable guy on the planet. 5:52 So are most speakers. 5:54 They want to meet the people who are excited by the work they're doing, 5:56 so wait after they're speaking. 6:00 Usually they get off stage, they've got some time, 6:02 wait for them and say—walk up to them and say, 6:04 "Hi, I'm so-and-so." 6:07 Always start with your name, always introduce yourself. 6:09 "I'm a big fan of your work." 6:11 If there's something specific that they've done recently 6:13 that you can reference, that always helps, 6:15 but don't be overly crazy. 6:17 Don't be that crazy, rabid fan like, 6:19 "Oh, my God! You're awesome! I love you!" 6:21 That's okay once in awhile, 6:23 but be careful about it—just be respectful. 6:25 They're excited, they're flattered to meet you. 6:27 They're excited when— 6:30 they're excited when their work excites other people, 6:32 so don't be shy. 6:34 Walk up and say, "Hello, I'm so-and-so." 6:36 Just don't slam a business card in their hand and say, 6:38 "I'm the best thing since sliced bread. Hire me." 6:40 Nobody likes that. Be respectful. 6:42 Just be respectful and say, 6:44 "Hello, I liked your work." Just go from there. 6:46 Who knows where it could go, but if you don't walk up to them, 6:48 if you don't say hello to them, it's never going to go anywhere, 6:51 so that might be the only opportunity you have, 6:53 so make the most of it. 6:56 [Dan Gorgone] So there's, of course, a huge difference 6:58 between the meetup down the street 7:01 and I talked by South by Southwest, right? 7:03 Literally tens of thousands of people— 7:06 who knows how many? 7:09 [C.C. Chapman] Thirty-thousand this past year, yeah. 7:11 [Dan Gorgone] They're all going, 7:13 and they're all attending, and they all want a piece 7:15 of the people that are there 7:17 and the perks and everything, right? 7:19 Now when you're attending an event like that, 7:21 and odds are you might get a chance to go to an event like that, 7:24 how can you successfully network 7:27 at something where the scope is so big? 7:30 [C.C. Chapman] Yeah, it's difficult. 7:32 Don't get me wrong—it's harder the bigger the event, 7:34 but the way to do it is to do your research upfront, 7:37 take the time, figure out— 7:39 you know we were talking about— 7:41 there's this simplified focus and attack. 7:43 Figure out who the people are that you really want to meet, 7:45 and then research, find out where they're going. 7:48 A lot of these bigger events, like South by Southwest and other events now 7:50 have ways where when you sign up for a session, 7:54 it shows where you're thinking about going, 7:56 so maybe you go to those sessions, 7:58 but if there's people you really want to meet— 8:00 something at a scale this size—and this works at small events, too—reach out to them. 8:02 Most of these people—their email addresses are out there. 8:06 You can find them or find their Twitter account or something. 8:08 Reach out to them and say, 8:10 "Hey, I see you're going to this event. So am I. 8:12 "I'd really love 5 minutes of your time 8:14 just to say hello and get to meet you." 8:16 People are flattered by that. I don't care who you are. 8:19 That's flattering, and more often than not, 8:22 if they have the time, they're going to give it to you. 8:24 They're going to be like, "Oh, hey. I'm going to be at this place. Maybe swing by, say hello." 8:26 But something that scale, you've got to reach out to those people 8:29 and say, "Hey, I would really like to meet you. 8:33 Can I buy you a cup of coffee, or can I just shake your hand?" 8:35 Don't be afraid to do that. 8:38 It doesn't cost you anything, but do the research upfront. Find out who's going to be there. 8:40 It can go a long, long way. 8:42 [Dan Gorgone] That's really validating, too, 8:44 because I've had people 8:47 email me 8:50 or hit me up on Twitter or something and say, 8:52 "Appreciate what you do" and things like that, 8:55 and it's so great, 8:57 but to make the leap from attendee to speaker 8:59 is something that I think there's plenty of— 9:03 are designers and developers out there that are interested in that, right? 9:06 You reach a certain point 9:08 with your expertise, 9:11 and you can pass on what you've learned. 9:13 You can go to events, you can organize events if you want to, right? 9:15 How is the experience 9:19 of being a speaker 9:21 different from being an attendee in that sort of way? 9:23 [C.C. Chapman] It's kind of a trip, 9:25 because you have the added pressure of— 9:27 as an attendee, you can be as anonymous as you want. 9:29 You can go and just sit in the audience 9:32 and nobody has to know who you are. 9:34 That's not the way to do it, but you can. 9:36 As a speaker, you've got a certain potential to live up. 9:38 People are there to see what you have to say. 9:40 They are there to learn from you. 9:42 Personally, it's a rush to be on stage. 9:44 I love to do that, 9:46 but it's also—it is more difficult, 9:48 because once you become a speaker 9:50 and people do want to meet you, you're time constrained, obviously, 9:52 all of the sudden, because you want to make time for them. 9:55 You want to make time for as many people as possible, 9:57 and sometimes you just can't, 9:59 so understand that if you are going to be a speaker 10:01 or approaching speakers, 10:03 sometimes they just don't have the time. 10:05 The good ones will say, "Hey, I would love to chat right now. Can I get a card? 10:07 I'll follow up with you after the fact," and hopefully they will, 10:10 and as a speaker, please do that! 10:12 Never take for granted the audience that is into you, 10:15 because they could go away just as fast as you got them. 10:18 [Dan Gorgone] Keep in mind that many companies want to hire people 10:21 that not only know their stuff 10:24 but also show an interest in the community, 10:27 both online and off. 10:29 Networking through professional organizations, 10:32 niche networks, and local groups 10:34 can lead to opportunities 10:36 to meet great people, 10:38 but it will also show your interest and devotion 10:40 to the industry you want to work in. 10:43