Reasonable Doubt

A common complaint or obstacle among unemployed people is the unwillingness or reluctance to more “aggressively” seek out or follow up with contacts for fear of being perceived as annoying, harassing or “too desperate.” I think a large part of the problem, besides pride— which is a an emotional chimera I battle with often, is failure to communicate. Basically, whether you are employed, unemployed, underemployed or unhappily employed, to network is to ask for assistance in expanding, improving or otherwise modifying that status. But whether you are engaging in effective networking or being a nuisance will depend more on how you ask than how often you ask.

When networking, I have found that it is better to be open, honest and straightforward. It also helps if you can cultivate some sort of personality or at least have a really great dog. Now, given that I am still unemployed, I am obviously no expert on the art of finding a job. But my experiences while searching have made me a little less obtuse about certain principles of effective networking. First, even the most gifted legal orator, including myself of course, must learn to recognize the value and appropriateness of brevity. For example, at a recent event, I overheard someone ask another person in the beginning of their conversation if they were employed and where they were working. It wasn’t a trick question really but despite the rhetorical gymnastics and the curriculum vitae recital, neither the person asking nor I could figure out whether the person being asked had a job.

Networking can be as simple as exchanging business cards at a party or it can be a very complex psychodrama. Personally, I prefer to keep it simple. Now, I know we lawyers are endowed with the art of elocution and are naturally ostentatious, but really, if you are unemployed and need a job and someone asks you if you are working, just say no. On the other hand, If you work for AIG and someone asks where you are working, then you might consider babbling.

In addition, whether you are at a party, a designated networking event or walking your dog, remember first impressions are often not as they seem. Therefore, it is not particularly productive to attend events in the hope of making contacts if you only spend time with the people you know criticizing the wardrobe of everyone else in the room. I learned this lesson the hard way— suffice to say the owners of tutu wearing Chihuahuas are not all created equal.