Career and Life Planning Guidebook for Medical Residents

R E A D : The Power of Networking: Your Circles of Gold ® Most professionals in any industry understand the concept of networking. Successful professionals develop their networks on a continual basis, expanding their contacts with each new person they meet. People network on the golf course, at chamber of commerce meetings, at their children’s soccer games, at their church, synagogue or mosque, on a plane or even at the grocery store. Theyunderstand that eachnewcontactmayprovide links to more new contacts, thereby expanding their contact base exponentially. Physicians who have been buried in training for decades may or may not understand the art and science of networking. They may tend to think only in terms of building a practice, but building a practice is networking. You see one patient, who then tells a friend, who tells a family member, and soon you’ll have a full schedule. That’s the power of word-of-mouth advertising, and it can help you find your ideal practice in addition to filling your waiting room. The actual mechanics of networking often elude those in career transition, including many residents entering the job market for the first time. Unfortunately, networking carries a stigma and a host of misconceptions. COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS OF NETWORKING NETWORKING IS ONLYABOUT... FALSE Using people q Attending a group event q Meeting only new people q Lots of hard work and time q Being an extrovert q Knowing a lot of people q SECTION II: T MINUS TWO YEARS CAREER AND LIFE PLANNING GUIDEBOOK FOR MEDICAL RESIDENTS 160