MLS Success, pt. 3--Making Connections

(3rd in a series about succeeding in library school)

Like many librarians, I'm an introvert. Like many introverts over 40, I have a well-developed extraverted side. I know how hard it can be for introverts to make connections with strangers in new situations, like starting graduate school to enter a new profession. But I've also picked up a handful of tricks to make the process smoother.

First, just show up. Ninety percent of networking is being present and attentive. You get credit for being there even by people you don't talk to.

Second, be enthusiastic. A common bit of wisdom that fails for most introverts is "be yourself." What does that mean? Being enthusiastic works better for me. I suppose they are the same thing, because I am enthusiastic about the things that are important to me, but it's a lot easier to express my enthusiasms than it is to express some abstract notion of selfhood. Enthusiasm seems to play particularly well in the library world. Librarians like students because we're enthusiastic about their profession.

Third, be generous. Sometimes this means shutting up and listening. Sometimes it means sharing or helping. Sometimes it means following up on a conversation that you had last week: How do you like your new car? or Did you get that interview you were hoping for? Generosity is about the other person. As an introvert, I find I can appear and feel a lot more outgoing when I make it about the other person rather than about me.

Fourth, don't worry about making equal connections with everyone. Introverts don't have the energy to connect socially with each of thirty people in a classroom or fifteen people at a networking happy hour. Be pleasant to everyone, but it's just fine if you focus your attention on the two to five people who make you feel comfortable and welcome at any given event.

Fifth, rehearse your lines, even if it's just in your head. If you're going to an event where you won't know anyone, practice your introduction: "My name is Joy and I'm a student in the Mizzou program." And practice the answer to the "what do you want to do" question: "I want to do reference work and web design in an academic library." People won't hold you to that answer, by the way, so come up with your best guess even if you aren't that clear about your career goal. Also practice a few generic questions to ask anyone who talks to you: "Where do you work?" "What do you do there?" "Where did you go to library school?" "What was your first job when you left library school?" "How did you get your current job?"

This post went on rather long, so I'll put the rest of what I was going to say in the next post in the series: Where to Make Connections.     #

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