Networking at the DZ

[shah269 0]

Networking at the DZ?

Some of us are in the professional word and as such at a given level moving around and or exploring new employment options goes far beyond monster or emailing resumes and shifts to face to face contact and word of mouth.

And rightfully so due to the level of compensation and risks associated with hiring the incorrect person for the job.

Thus my question is this, is it rude or is it acceptable to network at a DZ?

If it is rude...understandable considering who wants to work on their day off.

If acceptable, wow that would be very nice. Think a full division of skydives....blue skies..low winds....boys and girls we are going to the DZ

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[NWFlyer 2]

When I was looking to move to Northern California, I used the yahoo group for skydivers in Northern California (which has 400+ members) as a networking tool. By that time I knew a lot of the skydivers in the region from my many visits down there, but didn't know what most of them do professionally because it often just never comes up in DZ talk. The moderator of the group (who tends to be pretty heavy-handed at moderating posts of newer group members in an effort to control the spam that often infiltrates yahoo groups) was reluctant to send my message and wondered why I would use a skydiving mailing list to get a job when I could go to Monster or Hot Jobs (I kid you not - his exact advice... which I knew to be a recipe for continued unemployment ).

Fortunately I was able to talk him into sending the message anyway. I got probably a dozen replies with leads (in addition to general encouragement, which is always nice) and I think I got at least 4 or 5 actual interviews out of that one email. Many were from people I'd met before, some were from people I'd never even met. The job I ended up accepting came through a connection from a friend from college, but the skydiving community (in addition to networking with college, grad school, and professional contacts) helped to give my job search some serious traction.

So it's probably a decent topic to bring up during down time during the day or after hours, but maybe as a way to set up a conversation outside of the DZ rather than forcing it to take place at the DZ. "Oh, you work [at company x or in industry x]? I'd love to talk to you more about it sometime - maybe I can call you during the week or we can meet up for coffee near your office." That gives them the option to put off the discussion till later when they're in "work mode" but you're still making the connection.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[quade 4]

Quote

Thus my question is this, is it rude or is it acceptable to network at a DZ?

The best way to network is simply to become friends. If your goal in networking is to advance yourself, then the friendship aspect is doomed from the start and self defeating.

Try just being a nice guy to everybody. If a career opportunity grows out of that, fine, but if people find out that the only reason you're being friendly to them is so you can use them . . . well, you get what you deserve.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

Quote

Thus my question is this, is it rude or is it acceptable to network at a DZ?

The best way to network is simply to become friends. If your goal in networking is advance yourself, then the friendship aspect is doomed from the start and self defeating.

Try just being a nice guy to everybody. If a career opportunity grows out of that, fine, but if people find out that the only reason you're being friendly to them is so you can use them . . . well, you get what you deserve.

Excellent point, quade. So many people get this idea that networking is always goal-oriented. Networking is building relationships in all parts of your life. When my brother was in his MBA program, he talked about how uncomfortable he was in the networking aspect of it. He talked about one of his classmates and how she was always aggressive and pushy at the networking events and he didn't want to emulate her.

I said "So remind me again how you got your summer internship?" He said "I found out about it through one of the parents in the scout troop I volunteer for - he's the administrator at the hospital I'm going to be working for." I reminded him that what he had done to get that job was networking, the best kind, actually, because the conversation clearly happened so organically in the course of doing something that was important to him, that my brother hadn't even identified it as "networking." But it was, and it paid off.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[shah269 0]

I concur networking should not be a means to an end rather a means in it self such that one should not be "hunting" rather one should be just who they are and make personal connections which may or may not end up in a move.

Seeing how the past week was non stop rain and the various types of holds I see at my home DZ I was just not sure if it was an accepted practice.

I try and live a very segregated life such that fun is fun, school is school, work is work and love life is love life. And as I'm getting older and a bit wiser I would like to leverage the various portions of my life for a better stronger network.

Thank you for the responses and the previous experiences.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

Networking at the DZ?

What are you selling Mary Kay now?

"Wow, that was a hard chow into the pond, how about a free facial?"

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[shah269 0]

Ha ha we sure love our boobies. The reason behind this post is rather straight forward. I am an ace at enrolling others in concepts, thoughts or systems however I am the harshest critic of myself and as such not apt at "selling" myself or my capabilities. Thus the idea of actually going out and networking and selling myself and my capabilities feels rather alien to me.
Further complicating matters I work in a rather small, closed and insestious industry thus making new connections and increased visibility of the world a bit difficult thus the though of talking to people where I am most comfortable.
Yet i do to my green status in the sport I did not wish to tred on sacred space.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[wmw999 2,589]

Quote

I try and live a very segregated life such that fun is fun, school is school, work is work and love life is love life.

I don't think that's a good thing. The more you mix them up, the fuller your life is, usually.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[shah269 0]

Quote

Quote

I try and live a very segregated life such that fun is fun, school is school, work is work and love life is love life.

I don't think that's a good thing. The more you mix them up, the fuller your life is, usually.

Wendy P.

Yes Wendy, I am working on that.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!