It Does Not Cost Anything to be Polite

I heard Tubby Smith, the University of Minnesota’s head basketball coach, tell a story about his upbringing which included his parents’ advice: “It does not cost anything to be polite”.

That’s a saying you should take to heart when networking for a new job.

Here’s my rule: Besides feeling good about yourself – in networking you never know who knows who – so just be polite to everyone.

This is not to say you’ll be tempted.   I experienced people who were pretty rude, to which I simply closed down the meeting quickly and moved on.   For the really bad ones, I cursed when I got into the car (windows rolled up, of course).