The Information Gap: Getting Inside Your Network

As a Millennial and young professional with dreams to do just about any and everything, I’m often baffled by this idea of “The Information Gap.” The Information Gap is fueled by a lack of touch points for Millennials to connect with mid and senior level professionals outside of emails, quick chats at networking events, and enthusiastic request to adds on Facebook and LinkedIn. In fact, the social media marketplace has gotten overcrowded and has left many Millennials with mere exhaustion at the overwhelming amount of events with conflicting schedules, the onslaught of business cards being exchanged, and email inboxes filled with pages of unread messages.

The “Information Gap” is actually a result of too much information.

After consulting with professionals from various industries to get their advice and feedback, they leave us with a few tips to sort through the clutter and really get inside our networks.

Listen with Open Ears and Closed Eyes

We are often times distracted by what we see and that undoubtedly affects what we hear. Now I am not suggesting that when you speak to people, you listen with closed eyes literally (that would be too weird, right?) but to be mindful of how much our eyes deceive our ears. People have many things to offer and if our brains are racing a mile a minute to figure out how much money someone makes on account of their outer appearance, or shifting to see who else is in the room – we have not paid our undivided attention and probably missed a golden piece of information. Or even worse, a value judgment on whether or not we even like this person.

Communicate Authentically

Once upon a time it was acceptable and even expected to just tell people what they want to hear. This simply does not work for the purpose-driven Millennial. You should communicate with authenticity about what you are looking for in your next step career-wise, and be honest about what day-to-day job functions you find most interesting, what you’re learning curve is, and how you hope to grow from any potential opportunity. This helps the interviewer, professional contact, mentor, or even your mom’s best friend help to point you in the right direction.

Read Carefully

Minifeed news is, for obvious reasons, not the same thing as picking up the newspaper. You might find that the newspaper tells you about big shifts in industry, which company names are getting a lot of attention, which types of jobs are coming to a city near you and who said something cool and interesting that you might just want to meet. In combating the onslaught of information overload, it is imperative to think intentionally about which types of information you need and where to get it from.

And finally…

Follow Up Responsibly

You do not have to have all of the answers but you should have some sense of who you want in your network... for the long haul. So before you send that “Hi____ it was so great meeting you” follow up note, you should think deeply about whether or not this is someone you are excited to build a close relationship with. That initial email that turns into a brief coffee meeting or if you’re lucky, an invitation to an after-work event, is the start of a new life-long relationship that if chosen well is mutually beneficial.

With the emergence of technology and a social media culture that builds professional platforms to showcase one’s education, accolades, hobbies, interest, affiliations, etc. I have found that people have forgotten how to ask questions to people, as opposed to the internet. Thus this article is one in a short series to help us unplug, get focused and connect inwardly then outwardly.

If you have any other tips you’d like to share please comment below. And of course drop me a line if you have any thoughts on how you “Leverage Your Network” once you’ve gotten inside of it.