I don’t get over to Goodreads all that often, but I found a wonderful surprise when I followed an incoming link to my site from Goodreads this morning.
Not sure how I missed this, but back in Dec of 2012 a woman named Roxanne (I swear, I don’t know her!) wrote this insightful review of my book about networking:
I came across this book by accident when I was browsing through the library. I picked it up and read it through in one sitting. It provided a welcome re-introduction to networking that I didn’t realize I needed. As I was reading, I realized a few things: I was not taking networking seriously, I was not networking with the proper mindset, and I was not maintaining the connections I do have. Now I’m in a situation where I’m in the job market and I do not have the network I need to find my next job.
This book gave me easy to follow rules so that I can start building a network. As a very introverted person, I avoid any kind of networking event. I appreciated that the author acknowledges that introversion/shyness is a common reason why people don’t network, but gives practical, easy-to-follow advice on how to get around these barriers.
The book presents the idea that networking should be about paying it forward and looking at making contacts from the perspective of how I can help this new contact, rather than how can this contact help me. It is a novel approach to me and one that has completely changed how I view networking. Before I read this book, I honestly felt that networking was a very selfish and phoney endeavor of which I had little interest in participating. I love the pay it forward approach and the idea has changed how I view meeting new people and even making small talk. I also learned how to prepare for a networking event, something I didn’t know how to do prior to reading this book. There are pointers to improve a LinkedIn profile. I also enjoyed reading about some of the etiquette required to properly fostering and maintain connections.
I also have to give marks to this book for presenting all of the information in a very concise and easy to read format. The author refrains from using a lot of business jargon that normally turns me off reading professional development books. She also draws on her own network to add real world examples to the content. I appreciated the links to blogs about networking.
To me, the only drawback of this book is that I think it’s too short! I would have appreciated if the author had elaborated more on some topics. That said, I also think the reduced length gives the book wider appeal. If it was longer it might not appeal to novice networkers like me. The author also provides links to further reading throughout the book for those interested. I did follow the links and read further on my own and felt the suggested links were quality choices.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is new to networking or resists networking. I would also recommend this book to people who feel like they don’t need to network. When I had a job I felt like I didn’t need to network. Now I’m out looking for a new job and I don’t have the network I need. I wish I’d found this book sooner.
Thank you, Roxanne! You definitely made my day. 🙂
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