Author: Lavie Margolin, Career Coach
If you are a fan of the show Seinfeld, you undoubtedly remember the character Uncle Leo. Jerry’s uncle would demand a hello from him no matter the situation (even while being arrested for petty theft). Some of us would benefit from having an Uncle Leo to remind us of the need to greet people with a hello, especially if we are looking to network.
I wanted to share a story from a few years ago. I was attending services at my local house of worship. After the services, a neighbor came over to me to say hello. It caught me by surprise as we had never greeted each other in the past (yes, I was 50% responsible for this). She said that she had heard I had worked for a particular company and wanted more information as her son was considering a summer internship. She wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help. I made some suggestions, she thanked me and we were both on our ways. I have no idea if her son got an internship at the company as she never updated me or even said hello again.
In order for networking to work, you should be genuine about it. Say hello, thank people for their time and keep them updated of your progress. With a genuine approach to networking, you will have more success and it will not be transparent that you are only looking for something. Always say hello and you never have to worry about hearing these words: No Hello, Jerry?
About the Author: Lavie Margolin is a New York-based Career Coach and the author of Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers. To learn more, go to Lavie’s website, Lion Cub Job Search:www.Lioncubjobsearch.com