GOOD MORNING, NERDS, LET’S TALK ABOUT NETWORKING!

As a nerd and off-the-scale introvert the idea of networking used to keep me up at night. Randomly walking up to strangers at a conference or shaking a bunch of hands and making small talk at a mixer is my idea of torture. 1/

What I learned over time is that there is more than one way to effectively network. Shaking hands and kissing babies is only one model, and it’s a model that does not work for a lot of people. 2/

The goal isn’t collecting business cards, the goal is making connections. So what’s a comfortable way for you to connect with other people? I am one of these people who needs at least 24 hours’ notice if I am going to have to talk to a stranger. 3/

So mixers give me cold sweats. Not gonna work. What does work for me is planned meetings. If I’m going to be at a conference and there’s someone doing cool work I want to talk to, I email them in advance and schedule a coffee. 4/

Here’s a secret: there are a lot of introverted nerds in stats! We get excited when people are interested in our work but we also appreciate advance warning if we are going to need to talk to humans! So this scheduling in advance is a win for everyone. 5/

The other thing that works for me is networking through professional societies, mainly @amstatnews and @ENAR_ibs. Unstructured chitchat does not work for me. What does work is showing up and working hard. As it turns out, there is no shortage of need for hard working people! 6/

The people leading your professional organizations would love some help! If you show up and are smart and responsible, more senior people in the organization will notice and remember you. “That Hubbard is a real go-getter,” they will say to themselves. 7/

Important side note: not all volunteer opportunities are equally valuable. More senior mentors can help you navigate which are the opportunities most likely to pay dividends. It’s also important to consider what kind of work is meaningful and fulfilling to you. 8/

If you get involved in service that is professionally and/or personally satisfying not only will you be building your network but contributing in a positive way to the discipline. This is how I slowly built my network over about a decade despite being a huge introvert! 9/

When I go to conferences now I feel like I know everyone! Maybe too many people! Sometimes I have to hide out at the pool to avoid all the people who want to chat. Now that you know my secret, you can come looking for me at the pool if you want to add me to your network! END/