Have you ever taken time out of your schedule to meet someone for "COFFEE" in hopes of getting a contact name, career direction or career advice?If you live in DC I think it's inevitable. Even if you don't live here we at some point all have fallen into that trap.
Maybe a friend met someone at a party who did something similar to you and passed your name along to them. As an obliging person, you blindly set up the meeting only to find that you don't do similar things and you have more to offer than that other person.
It's not their fault really. Nor is it entirely your friend's fault. I chalk it up to the NETWORKING VIRUS. It's an INFECTION that people catch at different stages of their life. Like chicken pox, once it enters a class or circle of friends, in no time everyone has it. It thrives in certain cities like DC and NY.
At first you're host body, like me accepting contact emails from random people, but then you become a PREDATOR spreading your business cards to new VICTIMS or to others who already of the virus. Unfortunately, it never leaves you're system entirely.
At varying stages, its SYMPTOMS wane, but facing a job loss or career change and suddenly it's back with a vengeance. Instead of waiting for invitations to receptions and networking events, you go on the prowl scanning websites and chatting up strangers at the grocery store looking for the business card that leads to the name that leads to the unadvertised position that leads to your SUCCESS.
Even when you're settled in your CAREER, your energy shifts entirely to spreading the virus to the next generation, your children. Instead of "Here's my card and please keep me in mind if anything arises or feel free to pass my name along to Mr. X in that department," you start to say "my daughter is a high school junior interested in journalism, maybe you can use her help around the office filing or something."
In any case, the benefit of the networking virus is that it BUILDS your immune system. It makes you stronger, more confident and expands your pool of resources for career, finances, real estate, education and general advice.
Maybe my coffee meeting wasn't worthless after all. If anything, that's another person who knows my name and face in an organization that I may want to get into in the future.
One day, I'll be in the other seat passing on the virus to some other pure host body.
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