It’s All About Who You Know

It truly is all about who you know, supported by what you know, rather than the other
way around.

Have you ever heard the expression, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. So true! So bearing
that in mind, how comfortable do you feel networking?

Our current world and reality presents a plethora of opportunity for us to engage with people, but on an
impersonal level.

It’s amazing how, if we want to, we can watch our friends graduate, get jobs, get married, have children,
possibly get divorced and grow old, all without even saying one word to them, or without them telling us
any of this in person. Instead, we watch their whole lives through sites like Facebook or Twitter, and
occasionally post a “happy birthday” on their wall.

While sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are integral to our everyday lives, they don’t really help
us when it comes to actually interacting in person. And interacting is a skill that we need far more than
we need Facebook - from when we walk out the door at home, into school, then into uni, and
eventually, into an office.

This really highlights the importance of networking, and the value of building and maintaining a strong
circle of contacts – and not just through LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook. A solid network of real
interaction on a regular basis, with real people will really stand you in good stead, especially from an
employment point of view.

People are always talking about networking, so how do you actually start doing it?

Networking starts with you. Make yourself available. Whether you’re in Uni or in a job already – don’t
hide yourself away and expect the world to find you. Think Christopher Columbus and get out there.
Volunteer for projects, form working groups for assignments, expand the coffee for you and your best
mate to a few others as well in-between lectures.

It’s also a good idea to stay up to date on current affairs and what’s going on.

Diana Carroll trading as Diana Carroll International Pty Ltd website www.dianacarroll.com
PO Box 6419 Halifax Street Adelaide SA 5000 P: +61 8 8240 2776 E: dc@dianacarroll.com
When last did you really read the news? Do you know what’s going on at your university or in your
company if you’re working? And if you are working, have you also considered joining external networks
within your field of interest and attending breakfasts, seminars or lunches that may be hosted by it?

Keeping abreast of world and industry news is also a good icebreaker for use when networking. Current
events and news are something everyone can relate to and is also a good way to make conversation
while waiting for a seminar to start. It also depicts you as being knowledgeable and people will respect
you for that.

Once you’ve taken some of the above tips, that’s when it’s the right time to connect on social media
such as LinkedIn.

So often, we do things the wrong way around, and social media should support interpersonal interaction
rather than precede it. Let’s face it – it’s can be a little weird when someone we don’t know tries to
“connect” with us, right?

A good tip for keeping track of people is to keep a list of where and when you met the people in your
social networks so that the next time you bump into them at another event, you can impress them even
further by mentioning the previous time or asking about how they have been since that day.

It truly is all about who you know, supported by what you know, rather than the other way around.

If you work hard to build and maintain working relationships, they will provide support for you when
you most need it but possibly didn’t even expect it.

Article last updated 24 January 2012

http://www.charteredaccountants.com.au/Students/News-and-updates/Uni-and-Grads/Its-all-about-who-you-know.aspx

* The Institute of Chartered Accountants website also has information about interview skills and writing an
effective job application.

Diana Carroll trading as Diana Carroll International Pty Ltd website www.dianacarroll.com
PO Box 6419 Halifax Street Adelaide SA 5000 P: +61 8 8240 2776 E: dc@dianacarroll.com