The Writers Coin

How did you get your current job? Odds are you knew someone that knew someone that knew someone. That person threw your name in the hat and it led to an interview. And the rest is history.

I’ve been hearing a lot of this lately from people getting new jobs. Some of them weren’t even looking to change jobs, they were just nominated by someone they knew or used to work with.

None of this happens without a little magic we call networking.

What is networking? Most people look at networking as another tool to use in their job search.

This is all wrong.

Networking is NOT:

• Sucking up to your boss to get ahead
• Keeping in touch with former co-workers in case you need their recommendation later on
• Sending out a mass email to everyone you know the day you lose your job asking for “a little help”

Every time I hear someone talking about networking this way, it makes me think of a sleazy salesman pitching me something I don’t need.

What Networking is Really About

Networking doesn’t begin when you want to get a new job, it’s always happening. And I don’t like the term “networking,” either. It sounds too Tony Robbins for me.

Networking is simper than that: it’s socializing. Being yourself. Getting to know people and having them know you.

You aren’t trying to sell people on the idea of how great you are, you just want them to see for themselves how great you actually are. Think of it as finding a new friend: you aren’t trying to convince a person to be your friend, you’re just trying to find out if the two of you are a good fit to be friends.

Same goes with socializing.

What is Socializing?

Socializing is getting to know other people and getting them to know you. Doesn’t matter what kind of person you are or what you do, the goal is for them to “get” you.

If this person gets to know you pretty well, and they like what they see, then odds are you’ll become friends (or friendly, at least). And friends know each other pretty well. Which means, when a job opening comes across your desk, you’ll know whether or not your friend is a good fit for it.

If he/she is a good fit, you’re more apt to call up your boss and say, “You know what, I know someone that’s perfect for this job.”

I have lots more to say about this, so I’ll post a part two tomorrow. But if you disagree with me, please post it in the comments and we can all get to the bottom of this.

Check out part II: You Say Networking, I Say Socializing

So this site is mostly about personal finance, even though I’ll sometimes drop some chatter on investing in stocks or index funds. I don’t like to go too advanced into that stuff because it could scare some readers away.

Brace yourselves.

I’m doing something I should’ve done a long time ago, and that’s learn more about options. As you’ll see on the sidebar, I’m currently reading Understanding Options. It’s a beginner-level book and so far it’s explaining things in a clear, concise way that I haven’t had too much trouble following.

I was going to just go out and buy Trading Options for Dummies because I wanted to start from the beginning. But a little Internet sleuthing on Amazon showed me that Understanding Options had better reviews and the first few pages were more my style. After reading it, I’m thinking of also checking out Getting Started in Options.

Why am I telling you all of this when most of you could care less about options trading? Because I also used to think options were way too advanced for me, when I didn’t even know how they worked.

The main reason I’m learning about them is because I just want to know how they work. Plus, learning something new is a fun challenge for me. It doesn’t happen very often, but I’m challenging myself to learn this stuff the same way I did with learning about stocks and investments many years ago.

I figure more education can only help me get better and will give me more to talk about here on this site. As I work my way through the options universe, I’ll be sure to share what I learn here from time to time for those of you that might want to get a little taste of what this is all about and how hard/easy it is to learn.

And for those of you that do have options experience, feel free to send me your favorite resources that worked for you while you were learning.

Image from Perpetualtourist2000

I think I hinted at it in my post on stress and when things go crazy at work.

Obviously, work has been on my mind quite a bit. I’ve barely had time to clear the spam for the site, much less post something mildly interesting.

I won’t bore you with the details behind me and my TPS reports, but I will share some advice to others out there who are going through a crazy/rough/super busy rough patch at work:

• Laugh: When I come home, M and I laugh quite a bit. She’s funny even though she doesn’t think she is. But laughing helps release some of the stress from work and it makes me feel good. As long as I can come home and laugh, I know I’ll be OK. It creates a nice balance and change of pace from work. And trust me, this is way better than coming home and going on and on about how rough work was to your wife. Why bring it home with you?
• Love: I’m lucky. I have M and she keeps me honest. I come home knowing that we’re both happy and our lives are pretty sweet. Whether the job is stressful or not, that doesn’t matter—we have each other and, corny as it sounds, that makes all the different when you come home spent to the last drop.
• Work hard: Give it your all. You should be working hard regardless, but this is also a chance to test yourself. How much can you take on? Can you handle the pressure? The only way to find answers to these questions is to get thrown in the fire. That’s what’s going on now—can you feel it? Now hit it out of the park or at least hit a stand up double.
• Organize: To-do lists are your best friend right now. Prioritize and get everything down on paper. When things get crazy, your memory is NOT to be trusted. Write things down and create a plan at the start of every day. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.
• Put it into perspective: An old boss of mine used to have something scrawled in his office all the time, “None of this will matter in 10 years.” It really gets you thinking, especially when you’re knee deep in the muck of it. Don’t forget that this isn’t life or death—it’s your job. It’s important, but it’s not like anyone’s dying or anything.
• It will end: Eventually. It may not feel like it, but it will. And if it doesn’t ever stop…then you have to think of moving right along to something else…

If anyone else has any good tips to share, feel free to add them in the comments section.

Image by alancleaver_2000