Everywhere I go, I can’t escape this word. It lurks in my email inbox. It creeps into my social media notifications. It worms its way into conversations with friends. It seeps into professors’ lectures. One word. Three syllables. Ten letters. Networking.
Merriam-Webster defines the term networking as “the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions, specifically the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business.”
As I’ve said before, this term is ubiquitous in our society. People are always pushing students to go to events because of “networking opportunities.” Internships and unpaid gigs are seen as a way to “network” with other professionals in hopes of acquiring paid work. Students are constantly urged to form relationships with professors, alumni and other professionals in hope of forming their own “network.”
I, for one, am sick of it.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. I understand that relationships and connections are often essential to finding employment. I myself have landed good summer jobs thanks, in part, to quality references from professors and past employers. It would be unrealistic to expect anyone to make their way in the world without the helping hands and recommendations that mentors can provide.
Furthermore, while I sometimes find it tempting to dream about an ideal world where applicants are judged on their abilities alone, I don’t think that’s actually a world I’d like to live in. There is a social aspect to every job that can’t be ignored. Employers have to take the personality and likeability of each candidate into account when making hiring decisions, because they typically aren’t just hiring one person to work on their own; they’re usually forming a team or filling a spot on a team that already exists.
This means that a person’s ability to work effectively with other people and form positive relationships with these coworkers is largely invaluable, no matter what industry they’re interested in. Ergo, if a job applicant has already formed a positive relationship with their potential employer (or someone connected to said employer), it would definitely be a point in their favor.
In other words, I don’t hate the core principle behind networking. Rather, I hate the term itself and negative connotations it can have. When I hear the word network, I picture a row of computers and all the different, twisting black wires that bind them into the system. I think of cold, calculating, impersonal machines.
There are two keywords here: calculating and impersonal. Both words are adjectives I associate with the term networking when it is used in a less-than-ethical manner, and both words symbolize risks that I wish to avoid in my career.
The first risk is being someone who uses networking in a calculating manner. A calculating networker is someone who meets a new person in their industry, immediately assesses the benefits of being connected to that person, and then forms a relationship with the primary goal of hoping to advance their own career (rather than out of any personal interest of actually getting to know the person on a friendly and human level). In simple terms, a calculating networker is someone who sees business contacts not as people but as resources to be used to their own advantage.
The other risk I want to avoid is being an impersonal networker. As I said earlier, I dislike the impersonal connotations of the word networking — and, in truth, I have the same problem with many terms and conventions used in job searches. I dislike the term “brand” when referred to a person. I dislike the insinuation that resumes and cover letters are nothing more than advertisements and that we are not people but products.
I don’t want to be a product, and I don’t want to be impersonal. An impersonal networker is someone who presents a false or misleading version of themselves to business contacts. While I agree that a person might act differently around certain groups of people — “first interview jitters” Jana is very different than “I’ve been here three months and totally have the hang of it” Jana — there still should be an honest sense of self that comes through when you interact with business contacts.
I don’t truly hate networking. I just think that we need to remember not to check our honesty and integrity at the door. As Christians, we should practice this in every situation: at church, at home, in the classroom, in the workplace — and, yes, even the networking events our professors force us to attend.
