OneMBA Alum on Global Networking
The following article was originally written by Roslyn Layton and was printed in the Expatica newsletter in June 2010. You can find an original copy of the article here.
Global personal networking: it’s more than LinkedIn and Facebook
As an American management consultant in California, the RSM OneMBA was my ticket to work not only in Europe, but countries throughout the world. With my global personal network built from students, faculty, and companies from the MBA program, I have been hired to work in the Netherlands, Denmark, and India, as well as to consult with companies in Germany, Brazil, and Japan. Global personal networking can help you recession-proof your career because you will be able to get a job anywhere at any time in the world.
An MBA at RSM (Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University) gives you a tremendous foundation to build your global personal network. Your classmates are outstanding professionals from around the world; the faculty are distinguished in their fields. Travelling abroad with your class exposes to you to new cultures and companies. In one instance, the Brazilian retailer Ponto Frio presented to my MBA class, and on a subsequent trip to Brazil, I was able to win that company as a customer because of my prior experience from the MBA. Recruiting events can introduce you to leading companies looking to hire. Through RSM, I met the head of Human Resources for Tata Consultancy Services and was later hired to work in the Netherlands and then India.
Just by being in an MBA program at RSM, you will start to nurture your network. It is said that 80% of success is showing up, but the extra 20% requires effort. You get out of your global personal network what you put into it. You have to make the effort to connect to others and have something to offer. Let me expose the two biggest fallacies about global personal networking.
The first myth is that networking is about helping yourself. It is not. The most effective networkers think of the other person first. When you meet a prospective member of your network, ask the following questions to yourself. How can I help this person? What does this person need? What in my repertoire of skills, experience, insight, and connections can help this person be successful? Consider these questions on both the personal and professional level. Remember, when you need a friend, it’s too late to get one.
Some of my best connections and customers have come from cold calling, but I generally don’t try to sell anything on the first meeting. Instead, I offer up independent research or free assessments. This way I can provide a safe environment for my contact to evaluate me and get the time to earn their trust and respect. I speed the process by establishing my credibility through writing and speaking on topics of interest to my audience and distributing the context for free or low cost.
The second myth is that networking is about tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. While these platforms are important parts of managing a personal network, they are not a substitute for the human effort you must invest in your relationships to make them valuable and authentic. In fact, some of the world’s most powerful people have no social media accounts at all. The sheer force of their personality makes people want to network with them. This is not to say you should not use these important online tools, but if you have nothing to offer anyone else, there is no reason for anyone to connect to you.
Use online tools but not at the expense of human communication. Speak to the person on the phone. Take him or her to lunch or coffee. Send your contact a book or article of interest. Host a dinner with a small group of people who should meet each other. Not only do you get the benefit of connecting with your guests, they get the benefit of meeting others who can enrich their networks. That being said, you need to invest of yourself first, both in time and resource, before expecting something in return.
The best part about global personal networking is that it is fun. Yes, it requires effort, but the rewards in friendships, employment, and knowledge will transform your life.
Roslyn Layton is an internet marketing evangelist and helps companies maximize their leads and sales online. As the Senior Director of Marketing Analytics at Klean, a leading web design firm, she educates European companies on the state of the art practice of evidence-based marketing for social media, search engine optimization (SEO), and pay per click marketing (PPC). Prior to Klean, she managed one of Google’s largest advertisers, the digital marketing agency of Coremetrics, a leading marketing optimization platform and software company based in Silicon Valley, California.
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