WW45: Networking

What I was told from the very first step I made in company X is that I need to develop a network; that is a healthy relationship with various different employees. It is presumed that the wider the network the better. Of course, the corporate logic behind this is that the better the employees know each other, the easier and faster they will work with one another.

Well, this "networking" has turned out to be the funnest most natural thing ever. Basically, what I am asked to do is make friends and be nice to people. There are of course tools to help me - I can set up private meetings with anyone I want, called 1:1 (one on one); I can shadow someone for a day (that is sit with her for a day to see what her job roles is all about); I can do various team building events and trainings, etc.

To be honest, at first I found it a bit awkward, I was meeting people I barely knew and expected (from myself) to talk with them as if we were old time buddies. Every time I had a 1:1 I would apologize and say how sorry I am for losing their time. Every time that is, until my one on one with L.H.. She told me that the most important mistake that I am making is apologizing. She said that I need to be confident and try to squeeze as much as I can from this placement, try to focus not only on my job but also on myself.

I am a bit of a workaholic, always have, so I did not follow L's advise fully. However, I did start approaching people confidently, with a sense of comfort. Now I know that at first all I had was the "new-kid-in-class" syndrome. It is perfectly natural for a person to be nervous when put in a new environment, surrounded by strangers. So to all your future placement students, when you go to your company X, do not hesitate to explore - meet new people, get involved in different projects and activities. What I can say about my placement so far is: "pa-ra-pa-pa-pa I'm lovin' it!"