18 April 2006

I want to live the real life

There's article in today AFR (not available on line) about networking and how to do it properly. It's a delightful mishmash of truisms (don't look for immediate returns); good advice (you need to be genuine and authentic) and non-sequiturs (you need to have your 15 second pitch ready otherwise people won't pay attention to you).

Maybe I'm missing something, but to me being authentic is as much about listening, getting on the wavelength of the person you've met and demonstrating your interest in them as a person rather than some over-rehearsed summation of your objectives (I will eventually want you to give me something) or a straight sales pitch (have I got a deal for you).

Bizarrely, the article also talking about companies putting their people through speed-networking exercises to help them bring their skills up to scratch. Very authentic.

Meanwhile...


Mrs V V B reckons the IR legislation is going to bite the Howard Administration in the bum: job security is important to Australians. Here's hoping for a non-stop string of bastard boss stories between now and the next election, then. She reckons AWB just doesn't cut it and I have to agree with her. But I reckon West Papua might do just as well: they're not Muslims, they're being persecuted by Muslims. Regardless of how wrong that statement is, it will resonate around the bbq. Might even stop one or two. And anyone who thinks this column's timing is a coincidence ("look who did it first!") is kidding themselves.

2 comments:

tomic said...

And here is a skill which I need rapid training in, 'Networking'.

New job is finally up, people to check and converse with then apply if appropriate.

phil said...

a letter to the editor in today's AFR made exactly the same points - either do it properly or don't bother because the alternative is fake

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