New Professionals Need Three Networks
In the next few weeks, many of my clients will welcome their 2011 class of new hires and put them to work at some of the biggest and best law firms and investment funds around. As part of their orientation programs, employers should emphasize the need for new hires to consciously begin developing their networks as soon as they start work.
In fact, it’s critical that each new professional simultaneously build several networks, including:
1. Operational – this network consists of those people who can help a new professional complete assigned tasks on a day-to-day basis. In the case of a new associate at a law firm, it might include the new lawyer’s administrative assistant, a handful of paralegals, library staff, and the firm’s copy center. At this stage in a new associate’s career, these people, in particular, can help or make it more difficult for the new lawyer to succeed. They should be cultivated carefully.
2. Personal – this network consists of those people who can offer personal support and direction. Anyone who is new to a job can benefit from knowing a handful of people who are the source of a plethora of information, ranging from where’s the best place to grab a quick sandwich to who are the senior managers who want answers only vs. managers who want answers plus back-up detail. Members of this network can help new hires avoid mistakes that might affect their reputations.
3. Strategic – this network consists of those people who can help the new professional think strategically about their future professional goals. While it’s definitely inappropriate for a recent MBA graduate to approach the head of a hedge fund and ask how soon he or she can play a leadership role, it’s never too early to start identifying key players and begin the process of building a relationship with them.
Finally, new hires should be reminded that they ought consciously work to stay in touch with some of the people they met as undergraduate and graduate students as well as when they were an intern or summer associate. History is filled with examples of one-time college classmates who years later became business colleagues and associates. As I tell many of my clients, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, both of Microsoft fame, are now gazillionaires largely because of the connection they made as undergraduate students.
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