Cross-cultural networking: a personal perspective

I was asked to present a workshop at a Career Fair sponsored by Univision on 10/20/07; this was the Spanish language television station's first attempt to hold a career fair for the community in Philadelphia.  Networking was the topic I was asked to speak about, so I decided to illustrate the power of networking rather than talk about it. (decision influenced by my inability to speak Spanish fluently, or even well!)

I had asked my colleague and friend, Billie Sucher, for permission to have her poem translated by my Spanish-speaking son and his girlfriend so that I could share it with this group. Billie was honored and thrilled to know that her words may inspire people she would otherwise not reach.  The translation was able to retain both the meaning and the rhyme, and it conveyed the concept without the need for further explanation.: click here for the Spanish version (View this photo )

So why is this love-fest an example of networking?  What is this thing we call networking?

• Networking takes place when people are sincerely curious and open-minded; one party has to be interested in the work of the other to create an environment for networking to take place:
  • As Billie describes it, she initiated our relationship "over a fancy centerpiece at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY;" she commented on a blog post I had written. We became buddies, not just during the Conference but thereafter via e-mail and occasionally, via phone.  In May 2008, we'll present a workshop to our Career Management Alliance colleagues...
• Networking is a 400-level course: whoever initiates it has the responsibility for learning something about the other before making a connection; it helps if both parties are as interested in giving as in receiving:
  • Billie and I knew a little about each other via our respective blogging; that was the building block for a relationship where we serve as a resource and support for one another in our respective businesses.  We take turns using our ears twice as much as our mouth...
• Unlike those who network for self-interest, we have nurtured our relationship; we realize that it must be reciprocal and on-going
  • Never treat your network like "tissues:" as if you can use them and throw them away when you are finished. Networks must be nurtured for a lifetime of career success.
• Effective networking is using your imagination to consider how you might add value to or extend the work of someone else.
  • Billie shared the pre-publication version of her contribution to a Career Hub e-book (WOW Networking: Tips, Tricks & Tractics).  Apart from a "you go girl,"  I thought the poem may help to cross the cultural disconnect that may exist in presenting the concept to the constituents of UNIVISION.

So now Billie's poem is on the web in English and in Spanish, and has crossed a geographic and cultural divide. Do you have a better idea of how this networking dance is done?  Have a story to share?  Your comments on this blog are encouraged!

To talk with Billie Sucher or read more of her perspectives on career transition, check-out her web site:

Posted by Karen P. Katz