you're allowed to network

A nearly universal objection I hear from devs when I suggest they should build a network is that they don’t want to be a nuisance.

The assumption is that taking 30 minutes of someone’s time is a big ask, and that they don’t actually want to talk to you.

Here’s the thing though - people who network already factor it into their week, and people who don’t network are flattered by the attention.

Some people might not respond. That’s fine. Some people might ask you to reach out again in a month when they are less busy. That’s also fine. Very few people will outright reject a non-sales networking call, and you probably don’t want them in your network anyways.

The vast, vast majority of professional people are more than happy to chat with you. It benefits them too! You never know which connection will lead to interesting opportunities - more often than not, it’s not the ones you think. People who network already know this, and so they’re not hyper-selective of who they talk to.

So don’t stress over sending that request to connect with someone. The odds of rejection are slim.

And don’t feel like you’re imposing either - if someone agrees to talk with you, they want to talk with you!

The other scenario you might feel like a nuisance is at in-person events.

This one is a bit trickier - because yeah, you can be a nuisance if you just walk up to a group of people and hover. This is why I recommend you start with video calls.

That said, if you make eye contact with someone and introduce yourself with reasonable confidence, you probably aren’t being a nuisance. Even if you walk up to an ongoing conversation… provided it’s at an event where people expect networking, you’re not doing anything out of the ordinary.

The only way you can screw this up is by making people feel uncomfortable, and the easiest way to do that is to be tentative. But again, in-person networking is a much more difficult skill to develop. If you’re not naturally a people person, start with video calls.

Your homework is the same as yesterday if you haven’t done it already: reach out to the most well-connected person you’re on a first name basis with and set up a chat. Ask them questions, don’t talk about yourself too much, and at the end of the conversation ask if they would be willing to make an introduction or two for you.

Good luck, have fun!

- Clark

Ps, I also wrote a new article today - A Practical 10 Step Guide To Networking.

Pps, if you’re enjoying the newsletter so far, I’d appreciate it immensely if you would send it to someone else who might benefit from it!