Anne Fisher, a contributor to Fortune, in her aptly-named Fortune article, “Too shy to job hunt?,” found herself confronted with an introvert named “Procrastinating Pam.” Procrastinating Pam’s fear of reaching out passed her immediate group of friends, former co-workers, and bosses for help and information has prevented her from finding a job. Citing her own shyness and “dread” of “cold calling,” as two of the culprits that have hindered her job search, Procrastinating Pam has certainly found herself in a situation that many of us (myself included) have experienced: how can someone who is naturally introverted, and generally suspicious of the unknown, effectively network?
Anne cited seven suggestions provided by Tom Dezell—author of Networking for the Novice, Nervous, or Naïve Job Seeker—for introverted job seekers who are looking to get started networking, two of which I think are of considerable import. First: “Perfect your ‘elevator pitch.’” I have been hearing a lot about elevator pitches these days. Imagine you are in an elevator with one other person, and pretend that one person is a recruiter at a powerful well known firm at which you would like to work. What would you say to that person and how would you advertise yourself? While it might be difficult to condense your entire professional life into a twenty second speech, that is precisely what an elevator pitch is. Anne suggests that when preparing to give such a speech—or reach out to prospective employers or someone with whom you would like to network, do “a little research…’Before you contact someone, try to find out what [he or] she is working on or planning for…If you can briefly describe a skill or experience you have that can address a need, you stand a much better chance of getting her [or his] attention.’” This way you will be adequately prepared to talk, which should, in turn, help to conquer some of your shyness!
Second? Start slowly. If you are an introvert like me, the biggest obstacle to overcome when it comes to networking is fear. To paraphrase Heidegger, fear is always a fear of, or (as he clarifies in Being and Time) “about” something. One experiences fear in the face of a threat (whether real or perceived), in the absence of which one’s fear is abated. What shy job seekers must do is target or pinpoint the source of their fear and work to overcome it. Whether you are afraid you won’t be taken seriously, or that you might stumble over your words, shyness is something surmountable; that is, it is something conquerable. With regard to networking, Anne recommends that you “[m]ake a list of all the contacts you have in mind who are beyond your usual comfort zone. Then rank them in order of difficulty and call the easiest ones first.” This will help ease you into networking, and will hopefully allow you to move beyond the shyness and fear that has kept you from becoming an effective networker!
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