Networking is exchanging ideas and information between people in an informal setting. The people involved in networking are primarily with a particular interest or of a common profession. Through networking, professionals widen their circle of acquaintances to increase access to news, and trends, find new jobs in their fields and be aware of opportunities. Networking also creates relationships in the business fields, engages at an online platform, and shares information. Professionals may network at seminars, trade shows, fairs, and conferences designed to attract many people. Online networking platforms like LinkedIn give professionals a platform to post their resumes and access potential employers and employees (Woehler et al., 2021). Men and women network differently, which is evident in how the two build their networks. Men and women create their networks and consider different factors before connecting.
The choice of the person to network with is different for men and women. Women tend to choose friends over people whom they can learn from. This affects how they access information and the speed at which they move forward. Women do not like tough people who will correct them but instead choose someone who will be friendly and soft-spoken. This derails their moving forward since the best mentors will confront their mentees, challenge, dare and push them to be better.
On the other hand, men chase alliances, which may be uncomfortable and not easy going but they still pursue them. If the relationship yields business, men will keep it even when they do not like the other partner. Men do not seek social ties, friendships, and moral aspects of the networking process. Women are focused on long-term networks, which will grow into friendships with people they already know, while men seek to create short-term networks, which may, in many cases, die after the goal is achieved. During networking, women take the time to say why they created the network. Most women hesitate for assistance a few days into the network and think of what they can do for the person first before asking anything from them. A man’s mind is compartmented, and they think straight about the goal of the relationship. The hesitance to ask for assistance will not be there even a few days into the relationship.
Women enjoy a tight circle of friends and have a support system network where they share the workplace culture and other fine details that help them navigate the workplace. Men have a loose-knit and transactional system without less interaction beyond work issues. This makes them learn the hard way and find it hard to get into the system faster. Women networking is so strategic, and the person’s choice to network with is arrived at through seeking quality over quantity. Women focus not on how people they know but on who those people are, their authority, and their influence in that field (Woehler et al., 2021). Women always go for the people with better skills and experience than them to expand their knowledge and raise their odds in that field.
Men with a high measure of influence excel in networking. Their influence helps them to get the best job placement, be well paid, and are more authoritative in their positions. Unlike women who need inner circles to access the executive and classic positions, men do not face these political and social hurdles frequently as women do. Therefore, the male inner circle is less not in any way involved in the job placement process. Women engage in diverse networks because their internal processes vary with friends from different fields. Having connections from only one field makes them miss out on crucial information in the other fields and causes blind spots. This affects how they will first secure a job or access a desired thing like a business’s information or anything they would like to venture. Men, on the other hand focus on specializing and focusing on a certain field at a specific time. They set their minds on a specific business, goal, or career. For them, diversity is not a thing of great concern but getting the right person.
Both women and men need networks to succeed in job placement and business fields. Research shows that both achieve when they are more central, which means how well connected they are, but the difference comes in the type of information that the two require from their networks. Women will require more detailed information to warranty their placement and access to the most lucrative jobs. In contrast, men will only require exposure and access to market information alone, while women seek deeper private information. The resume may be identical, but the networks will always be different, bringing about diversity. Women and men are good and perform better of how different they are. No gender is more advantaged in this; only that one needs to know the required network around them to warranty success.
Reference
Woehler, M. L., Cullen-Lester, K. L., Porter, C. M., & Frear, K. A. (2021). Whether, how, and why networks influence men’s and women’s career success: Review and research agenda. Journal of Management, 47(1), 207-236.