PRODUCER’s NOTE: Because of an unresolvable technical problem with WordPress, the web host platform for JohnGSelf.Com, you may be unable to view today’s video. To view today’s GotAMinute video, we have created this secure link to our YouTube channel page for your convenience.

If I invest my time networking, what’s the payoff?

It is all in the orientation — what are you trying to achieve?

For many in Gen X and holdover Boomers, networking is something you do to find a job, a very narrow and often unsuccessful perspective.

For the “networked” Generation Zs and most Millennials, networking is something you do to meet people, share ideas, express creativity, maintain relationships, and learn more about the world. According to LinkedIn Co-Founder Reid Hoffman, these relationships will support them through tough times (presumably including a job search).

Stop and think. You have an online connection with someone versus a person you know and with whom you have worked to build a relationship. 

Which person are you more inclined to help?

It is not about how many connections you have. It is about the quality of the relationship.