Networking for Shy People (Summer/Fall 2007)
By Karen Litzinger, MA, LPC

You probably know that most people find jobs through networking. The statistics I use are 50-80%, as compared to 4-10% through internet job site listings. What’s a shy person to do?

• Focus on one-on-one meetings rather than group functions.
• Ask your contact to pave the way by inquiring if the person would be willing to meet with you.
• Send a letter or email requesting the meeting and follow it with a call.
• Develop a script for your call and the first minute or two of the meeting.
• Prepare for the meeting with a list of 3-5 questions on a portfolio pad.
• If going to a group function, take a friend with you.
• Get involved in a professional group or association for purposeful interactions.

©2007, Litzinger Career Consulting. Permission granted to reprint this article so long as the text and by-line are not changed and reprinted intact with all links made live.
Karen Litzinger, MA, LPC, owner of Litzinger Career Consulting, provides career counseling, job search advising, outplacement consulting, and business etiquette training. More information is available at www.KarensCareerCoaching.com