networking

Last week I went to a professional conference in the hopes of networking and finding some work possibilities. It was energizing to go to the many workshops and meet new people. At the same time, I had this niggling thought at the back of mind, “Why don’t you hire me at your facility?!” I know there is an irrational quality to that thought and I worked to keep it from robbing me of the enjoyment of being among colleagues.

I’ve heard from job-hunting specialists that making contacts and creating a network of people to call to put one in touch with job opportunities is important in finding a job. This is hard for me. I am a listener and yet I have made cold calls and reached out to people when my work has called for it. I am more motivated to do this networking and contacting when I consider this a spirit-building experience. By that I mean the kind of 6 degrees removed connection that puts all of us in the web of life.

In my first congregation there was an old fisherman that died. At his memorial service I reflected on the different ways networking was part of his life. As a fisherman he would spend many hours repairing the nets after a fishing run. Net-working was part of his livelihood. If the nets had holes in them he would lose fish and income. He also had a hobby as an avid short wave radio networker—a CB’er. I heard from his family about all of the friends he made talking to people on the short wave and how they became a community that would care for one another and check up on one another. I heard about the interesting and humorous handles they had for one another. This was a network full of love and life. This network of CB’ers became the old fisherman’s connection to the world—his life line when his health worsened. Perhaps the networking we do now when looking for work is a life line for us and reminds us that we are valued and valuable persons. If only 6 degrees separates me from the person I call about a job that’s a little less daunting than calling a stranger and I can have a conversation with my cousin twice removed.