Highly Effective Networking: Meet the Right People and Get a Great Job

Chapter Three

Networking Myths, Misunderstandings, and Dumb Ideas

Once when my daughter was very young, her mother and I told her that we were going to take her to the zoo. We had hoped she’d be delighted. But instead, she looked worried. She didn’t say anything.

That evening, when I was tucking her into bed, she finally spoke up.

“Daddy,” she said in a small voice, “When we’re at the zoo, will the lions eat me?”

“No, sweetheart,” I replied. “The lions are in a big pen with high stone walls. They’re on an island in the middle of a lake. They don’t know how to swim across the water and they can’t climb up the walls, so the people are very safe.”

“Oh,” she said, finally looking relaxed.

I have seen the same story play out with job hunters. You ...