This is not only about getting the really desirable jobs.
Yes, the techniques I’m about to discuss do help open many career doors. But more importantly, they protect you from being automated away.
You see… You may become obsolete, if you don’t learn the techniques outlined below.
This is because, going forward, the whole thing is going to be based on “who you know”.
Here’s what I mean…
It’s All Becoming “Who You Know”
You’ve probably already heard:
“It’s not what you know, but who you know that counts.”
While this is disturbing to some people, especially to intelligent and educated people, it is also a very real statement as far as careers are concerned.
In fact, it is becoming more and more important with each passing day.
Think about it…
Back in the pre-internet era, what you knew gave you an incredible edge. Your craft, and your specialized knowledge kept you valuable and pretty much guaranteed your employment.
Even if people didn’t know you, or like you, they would still work with you to get the results they wanted.
Knowledge was power.
In fact, from metalsmiths to stone masons, many skilled workers organized themselves into guilds and kept their teachings in-group. This continued across several centuries, and allowed these organizations to preserve their power.
And even after the industrial revolution, professionals organized themselves into many complex titles and systems of accreditation, to distinguish themselves from the masses based on the grade of their knowledge.
In other words, what people knew determined what they could become.
But the sun is setting on those good old days…
Today, thanks to the Internet, the entire collective knowledge of humanity is on anyone’s fingertips!
And while this is literally awesome, it also significantly devalues knowledge.
In fact, with the advent of artificial intelligence and smart automation, many jobs ranging from Tax Accounting to General Practice Medicine – all jobs built on specialized knowledge – will move towards elimination.
This means, building your career on your knowledge will be more and more a losing strategy.
And in the coming decades, “who you know”, and perhaps more importantly “how you know them”, will matter significantly more.
This raises a very interesting questions as far as social mobility is concerned…
What If You Are a “No Body”
What if you come from nowhere?
What if you don’t have any prestigious family ties or friendships?
What if you don’t know anyone who is a mover and shaker?
What is the best way for you to quickly develop a network and gain career advantage over those who can benefit from powerful networks or family ties?
Is there even any hope?
As, it turns out, yes, there are a few things you can do.
In fact, there is a way to turn the tables and use the very instincts behind nepotism to gain an unfair advantage to in your career!
Here’s the three simple techniques to “hack” who you know:
Step 1. Mix with Older Generations
This is very intuitive.
Chances are, people who are your parents age, or even those who are friends with your parents are further ahead with their lives and their careers.
By meeting such people and socializing with earlier generations, you are able to make connections with more important people.
You don’t need to pick your best friend or spend all your time with them. But by socializing with older demographics, you get closer to power.
Beyond the obvious help this brings with expanding your business opportunities, it also helps you understand their world view, their concerns and their “top of mind” conversations.
I’ve used this tactic every time I moved to a new city. And it helped me make important business connections, some of which are still lucrative today.
Step 2. Learn High Value Sub-communications
Different demographics signal their rank in the social dominance hierarchy by the various signals they use to communicate, which are called sub-communications.
From body language to voice tone, from the chosen topics of conversation to the type of clothes people wear; all of these give an insight into people’s class and their social value.
And while social value isn’t always directly tied to net worth, or to power to effect change in the world of business, more often than not, people with higher social value have more power in the world.
If you learn the correct high value sub-communications, you’ll be able to signal to people you meet that you are “one of them”, as soon as you meet them.
This will, in turn, allow them to become more comfortable with you and open up quickly.
And it can help in many unexpected situations. For instance, in as recent ski trip, me and my wife were able to meet one of the investors of the mountain resort, because this investor and his wife heard our conversation about global economics and couldn’t help but jump in.
Remember: like minds attract each other. And if you learn how to resonate as a like mind with the kinds of people you want to meet, they will meet you.
Step 3. Master Hobby Driven Networking
When people think about networking, they think about attending meet-ups, visiting nearby bars at company happy hours, or attending industry events.
And while these are all very helpful for networking among peers, they rarely help you network above your pay-grade.
Let’s face it. At that industry gathering, as a general rule, the executives and investors hang around in one circle, while the rank and file workers socialize in another.
And sure, while there are some cross rank interaction, the social value differential between people is always palpable. It prevents deep connections and friendships from emerging.
If you want to meet people who have higher rank than you, you want to interact with them in a setting where you are peers. In fact, ideally, you want to meet them in a setting where you are the authority.
Think about this…
Let’s say that you are a middle level manager. Would you like to meet the CEO of a rival company at an industry conference, with you wearing a name tag and he surrounded by many people eager to interact with him?
Or would you rather meet him at a local country club playing golf?
Or even better, meet him as he attends the archery class you are teaching?
Two of the biggest “breaks” in my career came through people I met through this type of hobby driven networking. And these interactions not only helped me get ahead, but they also created more meaningful and valuable friendships.
How To Be Highly “Knowable”
Obviously, the more interesting you are, the more people will want to hear from you.
In fact, if there is one thing you should learn from our Passive Networking teaching, it should be developing yourself.
It doesn’t matter which dimension this development is in. It could be anything from sports to video games, from following interesting crafts to teaching specific skills.
Yes, there are some demographic factors. And yes, some activities are associated with lower social status, and as such, they will not draw as many influential people to your direction.
But as long as you engage with a hobby that interesting people do for fun, and you get good at it, you’ll be able to use it to meet interesting and powerful people.
If you do want to benefit from expanding your circle and get the chance to interact with people who can literally make your career with a single conversation, do the following:
- Take out a piece of paper
- Write down three hobbies you have been involved with
- Write down three hobbies that you could see yourself involved with
- Pick the one that is associated with the highest social status
- Search for a local event/class you can attend
- Attend the next possible meeting
You’ll be surprised at the domino effect and the far reaching consequences of this single action…
PS – If you want to learn the techniques to exploit the “nepotism system” during job interviews, take a look at Secrets to Six Figures.
And if you want to get a job that even your friends think is “too good” for you: check this out.