Networking & Nepotism: Building your network for the future

 Throughout everybody’s life, we meet new people and make new friends. These relationships – whether with family, friends, or acquaintances — can play a major role in shaping our paths and discovering new opportunities. Whether it is learning something new, getting referred for a new job, or receiving a mentorship, the people around us can open a whole new world of possibilities for the future. There are two terms that are related to the kind of support from those people: networking & nepotism Although these terms might sound similar, they are acquainted with different meanings, effects, and advantages. Hi, my name is Jiho; in this blog post I will be explaining the meanings of networking and nepotism, how they compare, and how you can build your own network to support your personal and professional growth. 

Networking

Networking is the process of building and maintaining a relationship to help you grow, learn, and succeed. It can be either professional or personal. Networking isn’t just small talk, it is reaching out to people who you share similar interests and characteristics. It can help you learn more about your field of interest, share ideas, ask questions, and offer support to others. Often built around mutual respect and shared characteristics, networking can help you as well as others.

Networking example

Will is a marketing/finance major that attends Yale. He wants to find a job related to his major, but has no connections to people or direct experience. Instead of working by himself trying to get a job, Will tries to use networking to his advantage. He creates a Linkedin profile, showing off his skills, activities he did and college, and interests. He joins professional groups related to his interests. In that group he learns a lot of helpful information from an old professor. He then researches and looks at the professor’s profile and learns more about him. Will, intrigued, decides to private message him. In his message, Will talks a bit about himself and tells the professor he has a lot in common with him and admires his work. The professor responds and they arrange a coffee meetup in a local cafe. During the coffee talk William finds out about internships and job opportunities from the professor. By using networking, Will created a relationship with the professor and found out useful information to help shape his career. 

Nepotism

Nepotism however is a little bit different from networking. Nepotism is favoritism shown to a family member or a best friend. It happens a lot of times in professional settings. It refers to being hired, promoted, given the best projects, or special treatment just because of personal relationships with a higher ranked person. Nepotism is unfair and does not allow each employee to prove to be better.

Nepotism example

Pinnacle Ad Group is a semi-large marketing company for any kind of business. It was founded by Mr. Hudson and he is also the CEO. Mr. Hudson has a daughter called Hannah that just graduated college and is looking for a marketing job. Just in time, Pinnacle
Ad Group has one opening for a marketing assistant. Several dozens of people apply that are far more experienced than Hannah. However the CEO, Hannah’s dad, chooses Hannah over those people. Hannah just because she was the CEO’s daughter got the job, and the company ignored the other more qualified candidates. Even though Hannah underperforms, she gets to keep the job because of Nepotism. 

Contrast

While both networking & nepotism involve personal connections, they have different effects and purposes. Networking  is based on mutual respect and benefits. It is fair, requiring the person’s hard efforts trying to communicate, learn, and help others along the way. Nepotism on the other hand focuses on personal ties instead of impartiality. Summarizing, networking builds a relationship through effort and nepotism is getting the upperhand through personal connections. 

Building your Network

As you graduate high school it is always good to build more connections for the future. You can learn new things through family, friends, and other acquaintances. Another way like in the example for networking is creating a LinkedIn account. You can showcase your skills, clubs, activities, schools you went to, and career interests. Also you can reach out to teachers, classmates, professionals, or professors by pirate messaging them. Politely ask them for tips, tricks, or ask them questions about their journey and work. Always remember to make it mutual and be interested. Introduce yourself. Be curious, respectful, and open to learn about experiences. These small conversations could end up connecting you to a career you’ve wanted or open up new possibilities.