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<\/p>\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manitoba.iabc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Photo-2017-05-17-18-26-15.jpg” align=”center” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image” _builder_version=”3.23″ animation=”off” sticky=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” always_center_on_mobile=”on”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.6.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” sticky_enabled=”0″]If you\u2019ve read blog posts or articles that give networking advice, you\u2019ve probably run into the saying, \u201cfake it until you make it\u201d, right? But what if \u201cfaking it\u201d doesn\u2019t come naturally to you? What if you can\u2019t bring yourself to \u201cfake it\u201d, because it just doesn\u2019t feel right?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m here to tell you that I understand. That\u2019s exactly how I felt at my first networking event last week. I\u2019m also pleased to tell you that it was not an epic fail, and I still managed to get something out of it: practice.<\/p>\n
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Let me begin by introducing myself. My name is Rachel, and I am a marketing and communications student. I am also known for being brutally honest. I don\u2019t know how to lie or sugar coat things on the spot. Naturally, I\u2019m not that great at talking about how I rock at communications.<\/p>\n
At this point you might be wondering why I took communications in the first place. All I know is that I like to write and I\u2019m good at it. Presented with a keyboard and a blank screen, I enjoy finding the right words to get my point across. That feeling of satisfaction when you\u2019ve articulated all your thoughts and research into one polished document is beautiful. On the other hand, I tend to fumble on my words in a live setting. It\u2019s a double-edged sword.<\/p>\n
The thing is, I\u2019m actually quite outgoing and confident in my daily life. I attend many events and concerts, have a large group of friends, and thoroughly enjoy meeting new people. It\u2019s just that the people I currently feel comfortable around are not \u201cprofessionals\u201d \u2013 or at least they\u2019re not acting like professionals at the time. A woman at this particular networking event asked me if I was an introvert – I guess because she hadn\u2019t seen me at the last event. My friends would all laugh at this comment. (\u201cIf only she knew,\u201d they\u2019d say.) I wish I could transfer my normal confidence (almost over-confidence) to my new professional self. If only it were that easy.<\/p>\n
My theory is this: It\u2019s hard for me to be confident about something that I\u2019m just starting to learn. I need to know as much as possible about a subject before I am 100% confident that I know it. While this quality of mine has helped me in the past – not being afraid to ask questions when unsure about something – it\u2019s not a trait that employers are impressed by. When you act unsure at a networking event, you come off as unqualified.<\/p>\n
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I know that I would be a great employee in a beginner communications role. I\u2019m just waiting for that magic moment when I stop thinking and acting like a student and start thinking and acting like a professional. My business card says I\u2019m a \u201cprofessional communicator\u201d, but I\u2019m not yet convinced.<\/p>\n
Will I ever be convinced? Growing up is hard. When I told two women at the networking event that I was having these thoughts, they both chuckled and advised me to hold on to my youth for as long as I could. They, too, did not want to grow up. While this moment was comforting, it only confused me more. Is everybody faking it? (No wonder I identify so much with Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in The Rye.)<\/p>\n
A telling scene from the networking event sums up my current dilemma. As someone who works at a liquor store and has taken courses on the subject, I thought I would break the ice by ordering a nice bottle of wine (bottles of wine happened to be half-off that night, which was a bonus). I started talking with two men from a local marketing agency and things were going well. Another classmate of mine was also part of the discussion. At one point \u2013 and I\u2019m not sure how it happened \u2013the conversation got away from me. My classmate even topped off the two men\u2019s wine glasses with the wine that I had bought, almost forgetting to save me some. I could have shrugged it off and continued making a case for myself, but I felt defeated. I left the conversation.<\/p>\n
Now, I\u2019m not mad at my classmate. She exudes confidence and probably doesn\u2019t even know she did it. But I wish I were more like her. I wish I had topped off their glasses. I bought the wine and I wish I had owned that moment. I mean, I\u2019m taking marketing. I need to learn how to market myself.<\/p>\n
I joined IABC to brush up on my business communications skills, and that\u2019s what I plan to do. The only way to get better is to keep practicing, and the only way to practice networking is to put myself out there and network. So even though I feel uncomfortable, I have to keep \u201cfaking it\u201d. If what they say is true, I can look forward to \u201cmaking it\u201d, right? In any way, I didn\u2019t completely fail. I ended up \u201cfaking it\u201d to a few people \u2013 at least to the best of my ability. I\u2019m just waiting for that moment when I don\u2019t even think about faking it – or making it – anymore.<\/p>\n