I spent this past weekend networking with old friends. Translation: I spent the weekend eating and drinking margaritas with friends, and in the midst of that I "casually" mentioned my business and how the services I offer might be useful to my friends, or their friends or their...etc. Of course, if the IRS asks, I was working. But honestly, I was working: I was talking with friends, and alerting them to the things I do in my professional life and reminding them how those services might apply to them. I was also gossiping. But that was a freebie.
So, I had a lot of fun. But I'm writing about this because so many people seem to think networking is tedious. That it's an onerous experience. Really? Add some margaritas to it and networking's pretty awesome. And by "so many people," I mean men. This is a huge generalization, but so many men seem to see networking as begging people for favors, and therefore demeaning. Really?
For example: I dated a boy a few years ago, very all-American, broke (Oh, of course. Come on...what would I be doing with a boy with a job...?), who could talk to anyone. At one point, he convinced the Time-Warner cable rep to give him a free month, and some free HD sports channels...despite the minor detail of him not having paid his bill for the past 5 months. They had discussed football, and the rep felt bad that my boy was possibly going to miss the season due to a little thing like not having paid his bill. Yes, you're right: it was unbelievable. Meanwhile, this is the same guy, who, when taken to a party to meet an individual who could have put him on the path towards a great career...showed up wasted, unshaven, filthy. Several days later, finally sober, he shrugged and said, "Baby, I just hate to network; it's stupid." Oh.
He absolutely refused to accept that his conversation with the cable representative was a form of networking. In his opinion, networking only happened with people engaged in the same type of business. In office cubicles. In midtown, somewhere. (Yes, in case you're wondering: this boy was indeed fine as hell. Why else would I be dealing with that level of insanity? He made my vagina very happy. She was a big fan.)
Now, obviously, this boy was an extreme example...and there are many, many men who are amazing at networking. But there are many men, and women, who still believe networking can only take one form, or that there are only certain people with whom it's useful to network. There's people out there, wasting their own time when they could be meeting other people. Alas.

Want more advice about networking? Email me @carlotazee@gmail.com! 

Random

It's May. I have indeed been remiss about posting. On the other hand, I have been helping people. (And no, not just cute mens...gawd.) But yes, I need to get back on the blogging pony.

Therefore, a few random thoughts that will eventually be expanded into various insightful, amusing blog posts...just not, you know, today.

If you have an internship for this summer, that's awesome...but don't assume it'll be useful in your future job hunt and/or career, unless you actually work hard, learn some skills and impress your supervisors with your punctuality, office etiquette and willingness to work hard. As opposed to impressing your supervisors with, say, your commitment to Facebook. Getting the internship is only half the job. You need to leave that internship with supervisors who think you're a rawk star and would happily put their reputations on the line, recommending you to others. I'm not talking about a (meaningless) letter of recommendation, but a supervisor whom future prospective employers can call, and he or she will happily sing your praises. This is harder than it looks.

If you're trying something new and difficult, but you love it and it makes you feel alive...you truly have to suck it up and commit. It will get easier. I speak from experience. It will eventually become addicting. Eventually. Therefore, ignore the haters, the doubters and the (totally expected) pit of fear in your stomach and just commit to the bit, as people in improv comedy say. Those people didn't start out funny--many, including my ex, still aren't funny...ha!--but they committed to something better than watching adultswim.com all day, right? If you keep giving up on things in this life, what do you end up with? Exactly.

If I go out with you, and you're not the smartest boy in your own seat, it'll be better for both of us (i.e. me and certain crucial parts of my anatomy), if you just shut up and stop elaborately demonstrating your ignorance.