The views expressed in Guest Opinions represent only those of the author and are in no way endorsed by Richmond BizSense or any BizSense staff member.
“What time will you be home.” It’s a sentence, not a question: She knows very well I’ll be home at nine, if not way later.
“Uh,” I hesitate, “nine?” It’s a question, but should be a sentence: I know very well I’ll be home at nine, if not way later.
As is the case with all of us in these crazy little things, the biggest cause of all those little tiffs in my relationship happens to be a great source of personal enjoyment. Networking is great. I love it, but of course, it also means less time at home.
Whatever your career, walking in your front door at 9 p.m. (or later) shouldn’t be too unusual. Jobs should never end at 5 p.m. – at least not every day – and they should never end in your office.
“Morning breakfasts, luncheons and after-5 p.m. networking events are where all the connections are made,” says Jake Crocker, who, if you’ve participated at all in Richmond’s young professional goings-on circuit, have been in his presence whether you’ve known it or not.
“These days you have to be flexible,” says the 34-year-old, who recently started branding agency Crocker Strategic Marketing and even found time to create his own day: Join Jake Tuesdays, where his social and professional contacts meet for drinks after work.
“Business is going on well before and well after regular business hours, outside the office walls,” he says, teeing up his main point: “If you’re not out there, then I guarantee your competition is.”
Indeed, no job should tie you to a desk; I don’t care what the excuse is. There’s always a need to build relationships, socially and professionally, and not on Facebook or LinkedIn.
Hit Starbucks in the morning, and don’t be afraid to call an older woman or man you met at a previous engagement, even if it’s intimidating. Be sure to talk to people in other industries to keep a firm grasp on local outlooks as a whole. Grab a beer with a group at DeLux, Crocker’s mainstay for his “JJTs,” as I call them.
Just get out.
For some of us, networking isn’t easy. There’s a difference between trying to score a guy or girl’s digits and shaking a hand, listening, questioning, answering, exchanging a business card and following up in the next day or two.
Hey, what works in dating works in business.
“When they’re young, people need that extra boost to go out after work, get involved in networking groups and have opportunities outside of the office,” says Corey Humphrey, who, in addition to being a yuppie himself, runs the young professionals program HYPE – or, Helping Young Professionals Engage – at the Greater Richmond Chamber.
Further, women “should definitely be involved, if not more” than men, notes Lauren Bittner, a recruiter at staffing firm TecHead and events chair at the Richmond Ad Club. By “more,” she refers to the office world’s gender divide and the importance of women making sure they take the time to make those essential contacts.
Networking, Bittner notes, is an opportunity to represent “the brand of my company as well as my individual brand. I try to use every opportunity as a networking opportunity.”
+++
This column, which will run every few weeks or so, will cover yuppies in Richmond. All of us: men, women, richer, poorer. A report called “The Young and the Restless” – it came out in 2004, which we’ll refer to as recent – noted that 14.3 percent of the Richmond metro area’s population was between 25 and 34, on par with the national average. Our metro area is about 1.2 million strong, so we’ll ballpark the yuppopulation (you can use that, I don’t have it trademarked yet) at about 174,000 strong. If you’re in that group, what are you doing to get ahead of the rest?
I’m going to start by writing this column.
The views expressed in Guest Opinions represent only those of the author and are in no way endorsed by Richmond BizSense or any BizSense staff member.
“What time will you be home.” It’s a sentence, not a question: She knows very well I’ll be home at nine, if not way later.
“Uh,” I hesitate, “nine?” It’s a question, but should be a sentence: I know very well I’ll be home at nine, if not way later.
As is the case with all of us in these crazy little things, the biggest cause of all those little tiffs in my relationship happens to be a great source of personal enjoyment. Networking is great. I love it, but of course, it also means less time at home.
Whatever your career, walking in your front door at 9 p.m. (or later) shouldn’t be too unusual. Jobs should never end at 5 p.m. – at least not every day – and they should never end in your office.
“Morning breakfasts, luncheons and after-5 p.m. networking events are where all the connections are made,” says Jake Crocker, who, if you’ve participated at all in Richmond’s young professional goings-on circuit, have been in his presence whether you’ve known it or not.
“These days you have to be flexible,” says the 34-year-old, who recently started branding agency Crocker Strategic Marketing and even found time to create his own day: Join Jake Tuesdays, where his social and professional contacts meet for drinks after work.
“Business is going on well before and well after regular business hours, outside the office walls,” he says, teeing up his main point: “If you’re not out there, then I guarantee your competition is.”
Indeed, no job should tie you to a desk; I don’t care what the excuse is. There’s always a need to build relationships, socially and professionally, and not on Facebook or LinkedIn.
Hit Starbucks in the morning, and don’t be afraid to call an older woman or man you met at a previous engagement, even if it’s intimidating. Be sure to talk to people in other industries to keep a firm grasp on local outlooks as a whole. Grab a beer with a group at DeLux, Crocker’s mainstay for his “JJTs,” as I call them.
Just get out.
For some of us, networking isn’t easy. There’s a difference between trying to score a guy or girl’s digits and shaking a hand, listening, questioning, answering, exchanging a business card and following up in the next day or two.
Hey, what works in dating works in business.
“When they’re young, people need that extra boost to go out after work, get involved in networking groups and have opportunities outside of the office,” says Corey Humphrey, who, in addition to being a yuppie himself, runs the young professionals program HYPE – or, Helping Young Professionals Engage – at the Greater Richmond Chamber.
Further, women “should definitely be involved, if not more” than men, notes Lauren Bittner, a recruiter at staffing firm TecHead and events chair at the Richmond Ad Club. By “more,” she refers to the office world’s gender divide and the importance of women making sure they take the time to make those essential contacts.
Networking, Bittner notes, is an opportunity to represent “the brand of my company as well as my individual brand. I try to use every opportunity as a networking opportunity.”
+++
This column, which will run every few weeks or so, will cover yuppies in Richmond. All of us: men, women, richer, poorer. A report called “The Young and the Restless” – it came out in 2004, which we’ll refer to as recent – noted that 14.3 percent of the Richmond metro area’s population was between 25 and 34, on par with the national average. Our metro area is about 1.2 million strong, so we’ll ballpark the yuppopulation (you can use that, I don’t have it trademarked yet) at about 174,000 strong. If you’re in that group, what are you doing to get ahead of the rest?
I’m going to start by writing this column.