November 2008

Building Your Career Infrastructure

Networking is a critical component of career-building, especially in
tough times.

BY EVA KAPLAN-LEISERSON

In a struggling economy, spending time on tasks that don't directly contribute to your company's bottom line may seem unwise. However, some argue that that's exactly what you should do, at least in regard to one activity: networking.

According to Terry Foster, P.E., F.NSPE, professor in the Department of Construction Systems at University of Nebraska–Lincoln, networking is "the infrastructure of your career." It not only can help you move into new positions, says the past chair of NSPE's Professional Engineers in Construction, but it also can help you be more effective in your daily work.

Others agree. John Doehring, senior vice president at A/E consulting and research firm ZweigWhite, says that networking "is engineering." He continues: "This is not a 'nice to' kind of thing. This is really right at the core of the definition of what it means to be successful."

Indeed, in a recent ZweigWhite survey, A/E firm leaders reported relationship building as their most successful marketing strategy. Close to half of companies said developing relationships with clients and potential clients tops any kind of direct mailing or telemarketing they've done.

Doehring stresses that networking should focus on building relationships over searching for projects or jobs. The people who "own the relationships" in a company, he observes, tend to carry the titles of CEO, president, principal, and owner. That demonstrates the ability of networking to contribute to personal and professional success, he says.

Benefits
Still, networking through professional organizations, such as NSPE, has helped members find jobs, promotions, employees, and contractors. For example, Foster says that contacts he has made through NSPE have helped him become a full professor as well as the program coordinator for the University of Nebraska's construction engineering program.

Some even owe their license to networking. Peter Hoffman, P.E, engineer for Progress Energy in North Carolina and member of the Young Engineers Advisory Council of NSPE's Professional Engineers in Industry, says he was persuaded to pursue his license after networking with PEs in his local chapter. Tom Paxson, P.E., F.NSPE, president of engineering, heating, and air-conditioning company Pax-Sun Inc., says the relationships he built with other engineers after joining NSPE 25 years ago encouraged him to get licensed. It also helped him learn what it took to be an engineer and the responsibilities of a professional, he says.

Hoffman agrees that networking through an association is a good way for young engineers to develop soft skills that will "enhance their professional experience." The tactic also helps him gather information about professional development opportunities and stay on top of practices and ethical procedures, he says.

Keeping up-to-date on the profession is a major benefit of networking. Charlotte Maddox, P.E., senior division manager for PBS&J and former NSPE board member, says networking with the association has enabled her to see how firms of different sizes are affected by the same issues that her company is dealing with.

Sandra Knight, P.E., F.NSPE, Bradley County engineer in Cleveland, Tennessee, concurs, saying that learning how people in different areas of the country do things is a "big help." Many states have ideas or are trying products that could be beneficial in Tennessee, she says. On the other hand, some states could learn from Tennessee, and she can help them.

And NSPE President Brad Aldrich, P.E., F.NSPE, founding partner of Forcier Aldrich & Associates, says talking with other engineers can help company owners see coming trends and figure out how to prepare for them.

Problem solving is another area where networking can contribute. Maddox says her NSPE connections are a group of people she can turn to for technical, professional, and legislative questions or issues. That's extremely beneficial, she says.

Tim Madhanagopal, P.E., F.NSPE, plant manager of Orange County Utilities in Orlando, agrees, explaining that he saves time and money by having contacts he can call to get the information he needs to do his job. The chair of NSPE's Professional Engineers in Government says he puts more weight on the opinions of people with whom he has established relationships.

Increasing both your connections and knowledge through networking can make you a more valued employee, a big bonus if layoffs are a concern. NSPE Past President Bernie Berson, P.E., F.NSPE, believes that in the company he ran for almost 30 years, networked employees had an advantage. They were "far better at reaching out into the world external to our immediate resources to get answers, ideas, and solutions to knotty problems," he says. "They knew people in many fields…. They were more valuable to the firm over time."

Not only professional relationships, but also close personal friendships, can develop through networking. Maddox says she's made many good friends as a result of her association membership. And some of Paxson's best friends are people he's met through NSPE, people who have similar values, he says, and an ethical commitment to put the public health, safety, and welfare above profit.

John Doehring	Charlotte Maddox, P.E.	Terry Foster, P.E., F.NSPE	Tom Paxson, P.E., F.NSPE	T.Madhanagopal P.E., F.NSPE

How to Do It
Engineers who fit the introvert stereotype, or those new to the profession, may wonder how to begin building a professional network. "Get involved," say NSPE members. Maddox suggests that engineers build relationships by giving back to organizations rather than just mingling at social functions.

Others advocate starting with involvement in local chapters and then state societies. "First, start out at the bottom and get to know how the system works," says Paxson. He advocates developing a passion for one aspect of a state society or chapter and attending those meetings.

According to Paxson, one of the best places to network is on golf outings or other social activities at a conference or meeting. "If a guy will cheat at golf, he will cheat at anything," he says. "You really get to know somebody and get past all the…playacting that you see in a meeting environment."

Another tip: look for networking opportunities in uncommon places. "There are always people out there who know things you'd like to know, who have connections you'd like to have," says Berson. Doehring agrees. "Networking could and should be done everywhere," he says. "You [may not] be talking to potential customers, but to people who might be one or two degrees removed from that."
Madhanagopal says in any social setting, it's important to "bring the professional," because "you never know what it's going to lead to." Helpful tips may come from a casual conversation, he says.

For the shy, Foster advocates trying to make a new friend at every event you attend. Doehring says when he attends functions, he tries to find somebody in the room to talk to who looks more uncomfortable than he feels.

He also suggests figuring out who will be there ahead of time and doing some preplanning about your objectives while you're there. Once in the room, move around and don't get stuck talking to one person for a long time, he says. Then, afterwards, follow up with a quick e-mail.

"Practice, practice, practice," Doehring stresses. No one was born with this talent and no one is good at this without doing it, he says.

"I built the network based on the work I put into it," says Foster, referring to his positions within NSPE's chapter, state, and national levels. "Then the network rewarded me by moving me higher."

Online Networking
What about the growing trend of online networking? How can online tools benefit PEs, and what are their drawbacks?

Austin Lin, P.E., quality leader at Proctor & Gamble and member of NSPE's Young Engineers Advisory Council, says that it's in unexpected environments, like the popular online hangout Facebook, that you may be able to connect someone looking for an employee with certain skills to a friend you know who fits. That "puts the humanity back in networking," he says, comparing it to e-mail-blasting resumes or using job search Web site Monster.com.

Online tools can have an added benefit of helping people get to know each other in deeper ways, Lin says. Tools like Facebook have been blasted for their potential for over-sharing (like drunken party pictures), but their intimacy can also provide some benefit. "Secretly, deep down," Lin says, "we all want to believe that the lab technician or the finance manager isn't just one side of a piece of paper, that people are multidimensional."

Online or In Person?
Dave Taylor, a consultant in online marketing communications, points out that online networking can be more efficient. If there are 100 people in a room at an event, he says, you'll probably get to talk to only half a dozen of them. But the person on the other side of the room might be exactly the person you need to advance your career to the next level.

However, Taylor cautions engineers using online tools, especially the younger ones, to remember that everything put online can become visible to potential partners, colleagues, and employers.

Despite the benefits of online tools, both Taylor and Lin say that in-person methods are best for getting a good sense of someone and forming a deeper connection. "The nuances of human interaction, I don't think anyone will find a substitute for that," Lin says.

The 28-year-old Hoffman compares in-person and online methods to LP records and CDs. There's an old argument that LPs have a fuller, richer sound, he says, and direct conversations definitely have a dynamic that online ones don't. "Call me old-fashioned," the young engineer says, "but sometimes I definitely prefer an LP."

But maybe it doesn't have to be one versus the other. Taylor knows of people who establish connections on a professional online networking service, such as LinkedIn, and then set up in-person meetings for a conference they will attend.

"You leverage the search capabilities of the online world to improve face-to-face interactions," he says. And vice versa. After Taylor attends an event, he contacts people whose business cards he's collected and invites them to connect online.

If you want to get involved in online networking but aren't quite sure how to take the first step, Taylor suggests asking friends and coworkers about the services they use. Then go where they go, he says.

Evaluating the Impact
So why is networking important? Berson emphasizes that it's key for those pursuing licensure to get to know people and learn more about the profession. Maddox says that if you're not networking and getting involved in the issues and decisions that will affect the profession, "you're doing yourself a disservice."

Lin points out that PEs are well known among other PEs but not as much outside their profession. He calls networking "a PR campaign in a sense," saying, "You want people to know that PEs are behind the cars you drive and the reactors built down the street and the bridges you traverse. It's important to put a human face behind that."

Doehring says it's even more important in a down economy, for "out-hustling others," but cautions that it's a "long-term proposition" that may not pay off immediately.

The most common suggestion? Just do it. "The more involved you get, the more you get out of it," says Knight. And, according to Doehring, "If you want to be successful as a professional engineer, building and nurturing relationships is every bit as important, and maybe more important, than being able to execute the work."