Information professionals (including librarians, researchers, knowledge managers, archivists, curators, and more) have a complicated relationship with the related concepts of networking and self-promotion. Many are adept and confident about both disciplines, but others are reluctant or even hostile.
The pandemic era has meant major changes about these areas, for obvious reasons. There are fewer, if any, in-person events that have traditionally been the source for so much networking/self-promotion activity. The same goes for conferences and related events, now being held mainly online.
In this post, based on a recent video webinar I led for DC/SLA, I’m presenting a streamlined way of looking at both subjects, as interrelated parts of professional life.
At the end I’ve curated important resources, including books by my good friends and fellow Berrett-Koehler authors, Devora Zack and Jennifer B. Kahnweiler. I believe this information is relevant beyond information professionals, to all knowledge workers in today’s rapidly changing world:
- Networking and self-promotion is a balance: consider the need to be factual, sincere, genuine, tasteful, and authentic
- Focus on the things you do well as part of your profession, such as discovering and communicating information; keep it as simple as possible and strive to maintain modesty
- Develop ways that become natural and organic parts of your daily, ongoing professional life
- Presenting and other involvement at conferences and professional associations; participating on panels; teaching
- According to Leslie Howerton-Hicks and Tracy Z. Maleeff, in Information Outlook: “Networking is the most important weapon in your career arsenal, no matter what stage of professional development you are in.”
- Also from Howerton-Hicks and Maleeff: “The ability to network and connect with people is a skill, not a personality trait…”
- Role of LinkedIn and other social media outlets
- Explore opportunities through college and corporate alumni networks
- Consider the difference between promoting your work and promoting your library (or wherever you work)
- Learn from the influential 1973 research by Mark Granovetter, now of Stanford University, then of Johns Hopkins University. This roughly breaks down to friends/contacts and acquaintances, or friends of friends; especially relevant for LinkedIn
- For finding valuable information about opportunities (including new jobs, careers, etc.), these weak (or dormant) ties are likely to have more novel information than your closest friends/acquaintances/contacts.
- Importance of personal branding and social capital
- Tap into the art of influence and persuasion by writing articles, blog posts, and books; and by becoming a thought leader
- Develop and maintain your portfolio of work experiences and projects; promote yourself for visibility in getting new jobs and other professional opportunities
- Consider the role of introverts; yet many librarians and information professionals are extroverts; and most people are on a spectrum between introversion and extroversion
- Being an extrovert doesn’t necessarily mean you are automatically more suited to networking and self-promotion
- Networking and self-promotion require the need to step out of your comfort zone
- Keep a positive attitude, practice reciprocity, and remember the holistic, big picture
- Nancy Ancowitz: Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead. McGraw-Hill Education, 2009
- Susan Cain: “How to Overcome the Fear of “Putting Yourself Out There.” LinkedIn. September 14, 2015
- Alisa Cohn and Dorie Clark: “How to Network When There Are No Networking Events.” Harvard Business Review. June 23, 2020
- Meredith Fineman: Brag Better: Master the Art of Fearless Self-Promotion. Portfolio, 2020
- Leslie Howerton-Hicks and Tracy Z. Maleeff: “Network Like Nobody’s Watching: Demystifying Networking as a Skill for the Librarian and Information Professional Community.” Information Outlook July/August 2015
- Jennifer B. Kahnweiler: Quiet Influence: The Introvert’s Guide to Making a Difference. Berrett-Koehler, 2013
- Rosabeth Moss Kanter: “Networking Doesn’t Have to Be Self-Serving.” Harvard Business Review. March 6, 2020
- Dan Schawbel: Promote Yourself: The New Rules for Career Success; expanded, updated edition. St. Martin’s Griffin, 2014
- Devora Zack: Networking for People Who Hate Networking, Second Edition: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected. Berrett-Koehler, 2019