In these past couple of weeks at the One-Stop Career Center in Salem, Mass., the usual holiday cards from business connections have been trickling in: tokens of appreciation for another year of fruitful collaboration, along with good wishes for the coming year. The sources of these holiday cards have been as varied as they come: nonprofits, recruiters, staffing agencies, educational institutions, and private enterprises.
And that’s all good. We value good business relationships, and there is wisdom and prudence in the tradition of acknowledging that whatever another source contributes to an overarching goal—workforce productivity, in this case—is every bit as important as what we do. Or maybe it’s just a good tactical move.
Besides those season’s greetings, there have been other gifts coming into our office. These gifts came from clients who found jobs: homemade goodies, very much befitting the season. All combined, those goodies, even when divvied up among all office staff, easily exceed my ballpark idea of the total “allowance” in calories for all twelve days of Christmas.
But these gifts go to show something else. We received them courtesy of the time and effort those clients invested in making them and getting them to us in person. Although that may have been in thanks for the time and effort we put into our services, it is clear they didn’t have to do that. We had done our job, without asking for gingerbread and snickerdoodle cookies as “consideration.”
These gifts reflect networking at its best. The best networking moves are those that cater to the recipients’ needs. Perhaps what our Career Center needed was some holiday cheer, and those goodies brought it in. Networking moves that are the result of time and thought are the most effective, and will be remembered.
I certainly come across hundreds and hundreds of Career Center clients each year. Guess who are the ones I will be most likely to remember by name. The benefits of good networking can be reaped year-round. On that note, as has been said so many times before: make it a good Holiday Season!
And that’s all good. We value good business relationships, and there is wisdom and prudence in the tradition of acknowledging that whatever another source contributes to an overarching goal—workforce productivity, in this case—is every bit as important as what we do. Or maybe it’s just a good tactical move.
Besides those season’s greetings, there have been other gifts coming into our office. These gifts came from clients who found jobs: homemade goodies, very much befitting the season. All combined, those goodies, even when divvied up among all office staff, easily exceed my ballpark idea of the total “allowance” in calories for all twelve days of Christmas.
But these gifts go to show something else. We received them courtesy of the time and effort those clients invested in making them and getting them to us in person. Although that may have been in thanks for the time and effort we put into our services, it is clear they didn’t have to do that. We had done our job, without asking for gingerbread and snickerdoodle cookies as “consideration.”
These gifts reflect networking at its best. The best networking moves are those that cater to the recipients’ needs. Perhaps what our Career Center needed was some holiday cheer, and those goodies brought it in. Networking moves that are the result of time and thought are the most effective, and will be remembered.
I certainly come across hundreds and hundreds of Career Center clients each year. Guess who are the ones I will be most likely to remember by name. The benefits of good networking can be reaped year-round. On that note, as has been said so many times before: make it a good Holiday Season!
