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Is Name Dropping Effective or Annoying

Ever meet this guy? He’ll sidle up to you at some gathering. He’ll possess a certain charisma, laughing at your jokes and placing his hand on your shoulder so you feel at ease. He’ll inquire about your family and job. And he’ll make vague plans about joining him for golf or sushi. Despite the bonding, you can’t wait for him to go away.

No, he isn’t an identity thief (or worse, an insurance agent). Over time, you realize he is measuring himself against you, just waiting for the right moment to inject himself. “You just saw The Dark Knight Rises?” I once went water skiing with the original Batman – Michael Keaton.

Can you believe my 15-year-old son is actually taller than he is?” “You work for IBM? I just signed a $5 million dollar deal with Hewlett Packard. In fact, I’m heading out to Palo Alto next week.” He just can’t resist it. Desperate to elevate himself, he hopes another’s prestige will rub off on him. In the end, he’s just a name-dropper.

While he’d make a great Seinfeld character, his delivery reflects a pathetic neediness. That’s right, it’s all about delivery. There isn’t anything innately wrong with dropping names. In fact, it gives job-hunting MBAs an advantage in the right context according to Jeffrey Kudisch, the assistant dean of corporate relations and managing director of the Office of Career Services at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. As Kudisch observes, “in sales, politics, start-ups, the variety and level of your connections may be perceived as an enormous asset. By hiring you, an organisation may believe it can enhance its networks and clientele.”

That said, there is a certain balancing act. How do you share the quality of your network without coming across as a manipulative egomaniac? Here is some advice from Kudisch that recently appeared in The Financial Times:

“Timing and context matters: It is important to create rapport first and time your delivery. At a job interview, if you are questioned about your finance skills, this is not the time to mention your golf outing with a contact who works in the C-suite at the corporate headquarters. An interviewer perceives such attempts as a ploy and no one likes a braggart. You might also appear insecure or boorish, especially if you start topping the interviewer’s stories with your own VIP exploits.”

“Display a tactful and subtle manner: I recall an MBA graduate who name-dropped with finesse when asked if she had any questions at the end of an on-campus job interview. According to the recruiter, she mentioned that she was fortunate to meet the chief executive of the hiring company when he was a guest speaker at the business school she attended. During the exchange, he stressed the importance of demonstrating courageous leadership which involves keeping your ego in check and asking for help to address your weaknesses. Those comments resonated with her. She asked him to describe the HR practices the organisation has in place to help potential leaders receive honest feedback about their performance and enable them to achieve the company’s goals. The recruiter noted that her question conveyed a strong interest in professional development and workplace learning – an attribute that is highly valued by the employer. The recruiter was also impressed that she spoke to the chief executive about the company since this showed she was serious about working for the organisation.”

“Consider what others think of your contacts: Also if you plan on mentioning a mutual connection – let the person know ahead of time in case the interviewer decides to contact the individual. Any name you mention becomes an easy reference check. This means that it is important to consider the depth of your relationship with your contact. Do you trust this individual and what will he or she say about you? Shaking the person’s hand at a conference is not the same as building a long-term connection with a trusted mentor or colleague.” For additional advice from Kudisch, click on The Financial Times link below:

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Source: The Financial Times