COLUMN: Traditional networking ignores introverts
It’s sad, but true — if someone I know lands an impressive, sought-after internship, one of my first thoughts is, “Who do you know?” So much of today’s internship world is political, and success can often be determined by either being in the right place at the right time or simply “knowing someone.”
However, a lot of people — myself included — don’t “know” anyone. Thus, we must rely on networking. And for someone who self-identifies as an introvert, networking can be horrible, overwhelming and, at times, truly scary. It’s like that doctor’s appointment you’ve been dreading: It’s awful, but you know that it’s crucial and you’ll be happy once it’s over.
Many who fear introducing themselves may think they are alone and that networking comes easily to everyone else. However, according to Susan Cain, a recognized author and expert on introversion, one-third to one-half of Americans are introverts. And thankfully, networking involves everything introverts love: going up to strangers, self-promotion and awkward group situations. It’s a real party.
It’s hard, and USC could do more to make networking an easier and less painful process for students with introverted tendencies.
Despite the merits of big informational sessions and career fairs, their execution can be overwhelming and intimidating to students. I remember as a freshman dressing up in business casual clothes to attend an informational session for a company I admired. I immediately felt out of place. The room was stuffed with formally clad students armed with professional leather resume folders and shark-like personalities. That kind of situation better served people who thrive on social interactions and are more talkative and instantly assertive.
Cain explains in an interview with The Guardian that extroverted traits are overvalued compared to introverted traits when first meeting people.
“It really became the case that to stand out and succeed in a company, with people that you had never met before, the quality of being very magnetic, very charismatic in a job interview suddenly became very important,” she said.
However, just because some people can’t be “magnetic” in a matter of five minutes at a job fair doesn’t mean that they are less qualified for positions. More so, according to Cain, many introverts find self-promoting “distasteful,” making it difficult to open up and brag right after meeting someone. And being humble and unpretentious shouldn’t be something someone is indirectly punished for. Instead, in a smaller one-on-one setting, it might be easier for students to open up and share their skills. Even sitting down at a table at an event might make a situation more comfortable, as opposed to having a recruiter on one side of the table and a potential employee standing nervously on the other.
It takes an extreme amount of charisma to make a big impression in a matter of minutes, which is why for the sake of introverts — and the sake of everyone — more intimate networking and mentorship settings might prove more beneficial. It’s not a sign of weakness or laziness if someone can’t make a lasting impression in a matter of seconds. It’s actually quite normal.
It’s time to rethink the way we, as a university, approach the idea of networking. Some events that might be more beneficial are alumni sit-down events — any sort of experience that could get students and higher ups sitting down in a more intimate way. While it’s great to have NBCUniversal at an info session, those types of sessions benefit the company more — by increasing their application numbers — than students because they fail to create meaningful relationships between students and professionals.
There are so many amazing alumni in great positions who would probably be more than willing to be part of a “cocktail hour” or evening mentorship program.
And if I’ve learned anything from going to professional events, and actually snagging a few internships, it’s that those recruiters who speak to thousands of college students throughout the country are worth nothing. Instead, it’s that one close relationship you’ve made with someone who works in the ranks of a company who can put in a good word or let you know about an open position before it’s even posted.
On Wednesday, I’m attending the Annenberg Career Center’s “Food for Thought,” at Sony Pictures Studios. It’s the first networking event in my four years at USC that I’ve been excited for because it involves alumni serving as “mentors for the evening, sharing career advice, industry insights and professional development suggestions.”
In preparation for the event, we were asked our industry of interest, and we will have an assigned seat at a table to sit down and talk with alumni. There’s no sprinting up to people armed with resumes, and aggressive competition with my fellow students. That’s what attracted my annoyingly introverted self to the event.
More intimate events open to all students could be an extremely convenient resource for those students who have trouble with self-promotion and being magnificently charming in a matter of seconds. There may be more of us than you think.
Mollie Berg is a senior majoring in communication. Her column, “All in A Day’s Work,” runs every other Wednesday.