PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The Importance of Networking
BY CRYSTAL M. GLENN AND DANIELLE C. MATTEI
Networking—Does it
make you shudder with
discomfort at the thought
of introducing yourselves
to countless others? Or,
do you think to yourself,
“I’m on LinkedIn; no
need for all of that
nonsense anymore.” Or,
are you one of those
people that think that
the nebulous word
“networking” is fraught
with meaninglessness?
We contend that there
is great importance
to networking. It is
critical to building your
professional network for
both career growth and
personal benefit.
As contracts professionals, the expectation
of our knowledge base is immense. Contract
management demands competence in
leadership, management, contract law, economics, accounting and finance, marketing,
and operations management. And let us not
forget the soft skills like problem-solving,
business advising, and being a team-player.
As companies become “flatter,” we are
asked to do more and become proficient
in many areas of the business that we are
not altogether savvy on. Although we are
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Contract Management | October 2014
not expected to know the full solutions, we
are asked to provide results. How do we
source the ideas and answers? The answer
is by networking. Learning from peers keeps
us current and provides quick access to
solutions to problems we may not have the
answers to ourselves.
Another great reason to network is to keep
opportunities alive and flourishing. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
70 percent of all jobs are found through
networking.1 That phrase “It’s all about who
you know,” is true, but to keep the job, you
really have to perform and exceed expectations (which leads to additional opportunities and a larger network).
To assist in your mental wellbeing, the
network you create can aid you in finding
balance through experience and advice of
others, true friendships, and referrals. One
of the most elusive things to find while
focusing on a career is the right balance
between work and life. It is more challenging today to juggle the demands of your job
as most people are putting in more hours,
using smartphones, and taking calls when
they are not physically at work.3 One of our
mentors once said:
There’s no such thing as a balance. You’re
either giving 100 percent to your job, which
is required while you’re there, or you’re giving 100 percent to your family when you’re
with them, but you can’t have 50/50. Most
Sometimes these opportunities are available when you are not looking, and in these
cases your network seeks you out. Those
seeking someone to fill a position will first
reach out to those within their network that
they know would be a good fit and resource
to the company in search of a candidate.
Most opportunities found this way allow for
the job requisition to fit the person perfectly
so that when the job is advertised, he or she
will be the best candidate for the job.
Your personal wellbeing is a direct benefit of
your network as well. Through networking,
you can locate a mentor. Mentoring can be
helpful at any level of your career. Whether
you are just entering the workforce or in a
senior-level position, mentors assist with
the development of your career. We recommend formal mentoring programs that are
focused with goals in mind, but you can
also find informal mentors valuable if you
have a focus in mind.2 The important thing
to keep in mind for an effective mentoring
relationship is that the mentee is responsible for steering the relationship and ensuring goals are met.
of us need work to live.
This was hard advice to take when you are
looking for that balance. However, it makes
sense too.
The following are some tips to help you
hone your networking skills:
ƒƒ
Go to NCMA events by yourself (or any
other professional organization). It may
be scary at first, but you’re more likely
to meet other people if you’re on your
own than if you’re spending time with
the coworker or friend you attend with.
Also, make it a goal to meet at least
two people.
ƒƒ
Remember who you met. As you collect
his or her business card, write something down that helps you remember
who that person is the next time you
look at the card. If the person is local,
ask him or her out to lunch and for the
person’s story of success, along with
advice. It may be intimidating, but
people enjoy sharing their successes
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The true success to networking is building
relationships. These relationships may not
directly lead to a new position, but those
people you know may know someone else
who does have an open position. Building
your professional network includes fellow
classmates, coworkers, mentors, managers, as well as peers in the profession. The
stronger your network, the more opportunities will arise. CM
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
CRYSTAL M. GLENN, MBA, CPCM, PMP,
FELLOW, is the program control consultant for CenturyLink. DANIELLE C. MATTEI,
CFCM, is the subcontract analyst for CenturyLink. They met through NCMA. Danielle was
interested in the chapter mentoring program
at the Tysons Corner Chapter and found Crys-
and details about their careers, and
they typically offer sound advice.
ƒƒ
ƒƒ
ƒƒ
Look people in the eye. It is a daunting
task to approach people, but if you can
catch someone’s eye, it will be less
intimidating when you talk to him or
her. Ask the person about what he or
she thinks of the topic you are at the
event to learn about—if you are both
attending the same event, it should be
fairly easy to come up with a question
for potential conversation.
Contact people from your college
alumni group or look someone up from
a prospective employer’s directory.
One of us was offered a job just by
contacting her college alumni. The vice
president of a construction general
contractor company that went to
the same college said that he had a
marketing position open (she had no
on-the-job experience with that profession, but was up for the challenge). He
ran the office and shortly after the
interview, the job was granted without
any competition.
Do not get discouraged; understand
that while most people will want to
talk and meet new people, there will
be some that are not interested in
meeting others. These are people
that are attending events to catch up
with those they already know. This
is the minority, and if you encounter
someone like this, just move on to
someone else.
tal’s name on the Tysons website, so they met
for lunch. Crystal recommended the CMLDP.
Danielle was accepted. Long story short, when
a position was available where Crystal works,
she reached out to Danielle. They now work
one cube away from each other and use each
other’s networks for a multitude of career-
ƒƒ
ƒƒ
Follow up. One of the managers that
we worked with provided feedback and
said he made the hiring decision based
on a handwritten thank-you note after
the interview. He said it was a tough
decision between the two candidates,
and that note helped the decision
process. Follow up, even if you do not
believe the contact will lead to a job.
Ask an expert. As you build your network, find experts in the field. When
situations, questions, or tasks arise that
you have no experience with, it will be
helpful to have those reliable resources
available. Both of us graduated from
the NCMA Contract Management Leadership Development Program (CMLDP)
and one of the main benefits we found
was true relationships and resources
across the nation that we can easily
reach out to for help without judgment.
This has been extremely valuable for us.
You can build this type of network by
attending NCMA events and building
relationships within the field.
related questions. Both are graduates of the
CMLDP, volunteers with the Tysons Corner
Chapter, and even their daughters enjoy
spending time together. See how networking
can work? It can for you, too!
Send comments about this article to
[email protected].
ENDNOTES
1.
See Yale Undergraduate Career Services (July
25, 2014), http://ucs.yalecollege.yale.edu/
content/networking.
2.
See Jack Shaw, “Mentoring: Ripe for
Training” (July 2014), available at http://
managementhelp.org/leadingpeople/
mentoring.htm.
3.
See Jen Uscher, “5 Tips for Better Work-Life Balance” (July 2014), available at www.webmd.
com/health-insurance/protect-health-13/
balance-life.
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