Networking!!!!

"It is all about people, who you know, it is about networking, it is about being nice to people and to know them for a purpose".
I joined a new company last summers of 2007, excited with new heavenly laid back place where I am going to spend next three months.
A very good old friend of mine offered me a ride from the hotel to the company for orientation though the company was walking distance from the hotel and company has a shuttle too to add more to I always want to walk and know my ways if the place is new... By nature I hate dependency, I like to explore, rather depending on anyone. I would love to get tired,pay, crib still be on my own and explore, I never like a easy way out... as I have got so much used to the turns... that I have started loving them. I guess that is why people go hiking right!!! as they don't like the straight roads :)... I belong to that category.

Coming back to the reason I started writing this post.
On his way to the company and my very first day, he asked me to make contacts.
I guess who ever enters in this very professional world this is the mantra "Networking" in short to make contacts so that you can use them at your disposal.
You have an interview and you mostly write a thankyou email, have you ever noticed if it has made any difference... If you had a good interview and there is requirement they themself will welcome and will be overwhelminng to contact you and will lure with the positive points of being part of that team. If you did a remarkable job in an internship anyways you will be remembered by those set of people whom you got a chance to work with.

That friend of mine asked me to take lunch outside and meet new people specially manager or may be full times ( I was interning - FYI) ... afcourse his intentions was sane!!! and for sure it made sense.It seems like "It's not what you know but who you know that makes the difference".
Initially I seemed pretty convinced :) but it was the first day... of a fun and relaxing internship, it doesn't mean i didn't want to work or get a full time job there.Second day I made friends who all were there for the same purpose - FUN!!!! :)
so rather going out to lunch and talking to people who had good means to coming to work and were full times. I chose a house away from the company and in hub of the city daily walked a bit (Atleast some exercise in my outgoing schedule). Stepped on the bus where I can spend most of the time talking on phone,reading stuff or sight seeing rather sitting with someone and knowing more what he do,smile and sound like it was very interesting...

No, I couldn't turn that internship into full time but I am not sure if I chose the other path I would have got something out of it but I made life long friends and awesome memories of that place... where I won't be able to land again, as now I am working for a different company and may be work in the same for most of my professional time.
Afcourse the friends I made are my contacts forever... and I am theirs for sure those lunches, those surfing times, those hangouts, those water dives, those potlucks, those movies have lovely memories.
If I would have really understood what he meant and made myself busy most of the time doing so, I would have not have one friend but just contacts :) ...

Still the people I worked with I am in touch and I guess will always be, if that is networking I am belong to a world which is round.. you never know you end up meeting them again and then we are friends AHH!!! not a contact...

Now here I am next summer, I get invites of icecream social and lot of networking event, beer bash ... So are you joining in!! may be you end up making a friend not just a contact...