Networking for Newcomers
The skills that make you good at your job are different to the skills you need to get a job; and never more so than when you are job-hunting in a new country.
Networking has been a buzz word for many years in Australia.
It became much more prevalent in the 1990’s when the topic was discussed at every event hosted by a professional association, industry group or collection of technical experts.
A range of books explained how to network – all the tips, tricks and techniques – and these suggestions often assumed that the people you were networking with were from a similar cultural background and were able to interpret your communication style easily.
For some people, networking is an information technology concept. For others, it means going to events and meeting people.
Now, the word ‘networking’ is used with many other words – social networking, online networking, business networking, wireless networking, professional networking, career networking, computer networking, speed networking, business to business networking etc.
For newcomers to Australia – and this includes skilled and professional migrants – expatriates and Australian repatriates, networking is well known as the most effective way to find a role in a job market that demands ‘local experience.’
On a recent business trip to Dublin, Amsterdam, Paris and London, I was overwhelmed by the personal challenges of effectively communicating in either English or French.
For years I have been insisting that the most useful skill to aid settlement in Australia was the ability to read, write and speak clear English. On the overseas trip, I was reminded of how friendly and accommodating we are in Australia to people that speak English with a foreign accent – and I became so frustrated that I could not communicate clearly overseas.
I arrived there willing to share my knowledge, networks and experience – but I couldn’t crack the local code instantly.
How can Australia make the most of our new arrivals who are keen to create a new and successful life in Australia? What networking suggestions can we provide to newcomers? And what techniques that are useful for newcomers are also useful for Australians?
Many Australians are not aware of our own unique culture unless they travel overseas and then they suddenly realise that Australia is very different.
Newcomers need to learn more about: our culture (see the Australian Government's Culture and Recreation Portal), our work style (see Executive Planet Australia), laws and values (see here for some basic facts & figures about Australian law and legislation). They also need to make new friends from a variety of backgrounds so that they have other people to talk to and ask questions.
Newcomers often find that some forms of networking are difficult. Talking over the phone can be confusing and frustrating for both people. Resumes with Asian or Indian names are often excluded from initial job selection lists. Emails with slightly incorrect grammar or spelling mistakes are often ignored. Guests attending events in clothing that is significantly different to the other guests are not always invited to join conversations.
New arrivals need to be able to communicate clearly, source organisations that do not discriminate based on personal background and make an effort to retain their personality whilst still being able to fit in to the Australian environment.
Like any significant challenge, multiple concurrent strategies are the way forward. No particular technique is relied upon to generate all success.
Here are some strategies that can work for both newcomers and Australians?
Do your Research
To start networking, a thorough understanding of the profession and the industry is required. Start by visiting the Department of Immigration's Australian Skills Recognition Information website, The Department of Education's My Future website. Visit the Yellow Pages online as a quick way to search by category and then investigate individual companies in your field. The Australian Bureau of Statistics website can provide more detailed information about industry sectors and the Australian Government website has more general information and links to all other government portals and online services.
Build a Personal Brand
As a minimum, list your details on LinkedIn and start getting connected to organisations and individuals that you know around the world. Make sure your profile is complete, with a smiling photograph and obtain some recommendations (preferably in English). Then do more research about your profession and industry and start contacting these people and asking for an opportunity to communicate with them for more information (don’t request a job or a business deal, that comes later after several exchanges)
Complete a Variety of Training
Additional training in workplace culture, English pronunciation, Australian qualifications – visit state government websites to see if there are any local programs being run through TAFE colleges for new arrivals. Some good online resources are Training.com.au and The Business of English.
Attend Events
Try a combination of formats and times (start with the free events). If you register to attend, make sure you attend. Arrive early and leave at the very end. Have a personal card with you with your name, mobile phone number and email address but also collect cards from others and follow up after the event – also connecting on LinkedIn if possible.
Make Times to Meet People
You need to find at least two mentors. People that you can meet for an initial meeting, talk to once a week on the telephone and share up to three emails per week initially continuing for three months. After that time, both people can review the arrangement. Most Australians are flattered to be asked to be a mentor. Source one for both your profession and your industry and do what you can to support their work as well. Some professional associations and job assistance programs offer mentor connection services.
Seek Professional Assistance
The skills to find a job are different to the skills you need to do a job.
Source a professional advisor who charges on an hourly basis for around three hours initial service. Be prepared with all of your questions and details that you may need. Speak to at least three advisors before selecting the advisor you will employ. The Career Development Association of Australia is a good place to start looking.
Make Worldwide Connections
Inform all of your current contacts of the type of work you are seeking and ask if they have any contacts in the Asia Pacific region. This can lead to referrals. I often say it is not what you know, it is not who you know, it is who refers you; seek referrals whenever possible.
Be Open to New Suggestions
Ask questions and seek advice from different people – each person has something new to offer.
This is not an exhaustive list of suggestions or websites, but hopefully it will give newcomers and Australian networkers some new ideas on networking in Australia.
As with all of the articles I have written on Open Forum, I welcome your comments and contributions – I am always keen to share what I know for the benefit of newcomers and networkers.
Newcomers Network hosts free ‘Living, Working and Networking’ events in Melbourne and Sydney on the fourth Thursday of every month.
We are hosting a special event on 18 November 2010, ‘Meet Your Match’ Professional and Personal Networking for Singles over 35 years of age where we will be interviewing three very successful advisors in an interactive and informative session in Melbourne. Further tips and advice from this session will be posted after the event.
Sue Ellson BBus AIMM MAHRI is the Founder and Director of Newcomers Network, a socially responsible business providing information, events and advocacy for newcomers and networkers. With representatives in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Dublin and London, Newcomers Network helps people live, work and network in their new location. Sue is also the Convenor of the International Human Resources Network Victoria for the Australian Human Resources Institute and a regular feature writer for various publications. Connect directly to Sue via LinkedIn.
Sue Ellson is the Founder and Director of Newcomers Network, a socially responsible enterprise providing information, events and advocacy for newcomers and networkers in Camberwell, Melbourne, Victoria. She has published three books and can be found via LinkedIn or at SueEllson.com.
Sue Ellson
November 23, 2010 at 5:25 am
More tips on networking
On Thursday 18 November 2010, Sue Ellson hosted a discussion with special guests Rosalind Baker, Marcia Griffin and Peter Tunjic and fielded questions from the audience on the topic of professional and personal networking.
Some of the comments raised included:
. you are a success just for turning up to the event – when it is free and the weather is bad, it is easy to cancel – but you have made the effort to attend and learn
. find people who encourage you and do it to yourself as well, people you know and trust can reassure you
. resilience involves dusting yourself off despite a big knock back and bouncing back time after time
. persistence involves just going on – for instance, staying in the same job even if you don’t like it
. a feeling of failure comes from unrealistic expectations, failure means that things are still coming together
. you may attend a networking event but it may take 10 years before success occurs from the meeting
. tough times give you wisdom
. if you seek a friend, be a friend
. be a part of a charity group at all times
. consider mentoring other people who are going through the same challenge you have been through
. everyone in Australia has felt that they ‘don’t fit in’ at some point in their lives
. there is no ‘one’ culture in Australia
. be yourself – find what you are interested in and find like minded people
. be open and observe your surroundings and what you gravitate to
. it is okay not to like football in Australia
. talk to people on the street or on the tram, it is not a risk
. what we think is risky is a delusion – if you talk to people in some countries they will be suspicious but in Polynesia, everyone talks to everyone – let’s continue that in Australia
. we can talk to everybody aged 9-90 so that when we meet someone who makes our knees turn to jelly, we will have had so much practice that it will be easy
. when choosing a mentor or advisor, look at the person’s track record – what they have achieved, the right people have already done it
. listen to what your body tells you when you meet people
. it is not a good idea to always be thinking ‘what is in it for me’
. trust your gut to think and work for you, do not let your head make decisions – it can only see two to three consequences ahead
. one person is not everything to you, everyone is part of your life
. givers gain, show an interest in other people at social functions
. talk to shy people, draw out their beauty and hidden treasure, that is what will delight and satisfy you
. beware of people who tell you everything, they are usually hiding something
. spend time with people and take an interest in them, practice your social skills with everyone
. when starting to date, meet for coffee first and then an activity so that the focus is on the activity and they can learn more about you – this feedback can be used by a relationship consultant to make recommendations in the future
. by being friends with all people, even if there is no chemistry at the beginning, it will widen your choice – don’t judge someone before you discover their inner beauty
. be careful online, some people are married
. speed dating is too fast and superficial – only the good looking get calls
. collectors are people who like everyone and still give their time, eliminators are only thinking of themselves
. chemistry is a fickle thing, if you do one thing the other person doesn’t like, the chemistry disappears
. love comes from admiration, seeing someone perform well at what they are good at
. what is time? Cultivate time with people to improve your relationship and it will be special but don’t be ruled by time (get rid of your watch)
. time is being present, not helping to give or receive, just be with them, not thinking how it will help you
. people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel – when they meet you again and if they feel the same way, the fidelity of the behaviour will take the relationship forward and they will walk into your world (if the first time it was good and the second time it was bad, it won’t continue, this is a consequence of treating people in a ‘what is in it for me’ way)
. behaviour in both your personal and business life should be the same, you are you, reflecting the integrity of being a human being, same behaviours
. if you are not being yourself, you are misleading people and this is unhealthy, if you are not yourself, deals won’t work
. when someone is not themselves, they are misunderstood, you need to be comfortable in business life, not subjugated by other people
. tell the truth, even if it is to your disadvantage, be the most fabulous best you can be
. networking books often tell you to find out who is going to events, target certain people, find out who will be there
. need to be open when networking as in life, show up, be yourself and do not second guess how you should behave
. if you are you, you will not think ‘what could have been’ if you behaved differently
. if you are acting, you are full of self doubt and wasting energy on what could have been
. you can bypass judgment by being one person and connecting to one person, not 80 . you may find that you often offend people if you are yourself, having someone in your life that ‘returns you to the dirt’ – grounds you and helps you know what is real can be helpful
. stop judging yourself and let go, don’t make demands of yourself and have high expectations
. just be with people – we are all in a field of diamonds, narrow the telescope, tell yourself how clever you are, praise yourself all the time
. everybody lets you down, that is life, gain more wisdom
. don’t go asking for criticism ‘I don’t like the colour of my hair’
. be careful who you get advice or criticism from, could be a jealous friend
. if you want to be wrong, you don’t need to be right
. engage with people, tell me your wisdom
. we only have one conversation and that is with ourselves – everyone else is a muse
. agreement is often the greatest form of misunderstanding – we perceive that an agreement has been reached but it is often based on different assumptions and when we know people well, the agreement is easier to understand as the hard work of understanding the other person (through dialogue and time) has already occurred
. don’t stand apart, stand above
. networking groups to look at include the
Churchill Club http://www.churchillclub.org.au,
BNI Australia http://www.bni.com.au,
TiE http://melbourne.tie.org,
Networking World http://www.networkingworld.net.au
For more information, please contact
Rosalind Baker
Principal at Entre Nous
Author of several books on relationships http://www.entrenous.com.au/books.asp#1 http://au.linkedin.com/in/rosalindbaker
Marcia Griffin
Director at Peninsula Hot Springs
Director at griffinandrow
TEC Chair at The Executive Connection Pty Ltd (TEC)
Author of High Heeled Success http://www.griffinandrow.com.au/cgi-bin/page.cgi?griffinS+21 http://au.linkedin.com/pub/marcia-griffin/0/481/449
Peter Tunjic
Principal at Thoughtpost Legal and Owner, Thoughtpost
http://au.linkedin.com/pub/peter-tunjic/0/213/b6a
Sue Ellson
Founder and Director at Newcomers Network
http://au.linkedin.com/in/sueellson
Further comments are VERY welcome – share your insights now!
ba206
April 28, 2011 at 6:39 am
Just want to share some
Just want to share some thoughts:
– One thing I do notice about minority groups and immigrants in Australia (and other countries for that matter) is that they have a tight knit community and are always willing to help others back home to move to Aus. Help comes in many forms including information, financial, legal, and others. Maybe we can have the same community for Australians planning to work on a different country or moving to a different within the country?
– If you’re planning to attend an event, use twitter, linkedin, facebook, blogs, etc… to search for other people attending as well. You might be surprise by the number of people who are searching for other attendees online. Contact the people who reply to your post and agree to meet at the event. You can even try to organize a lunch or dinner with your new found online friends (and soon to be offline as well) inviting other people in the conference itself to tag along with your group.
Eddie Barnes
executive search japan