networking and schmoozing in the world of academics

I was talking to a buddy of mine who is interviewing at various universities for a faculty job right now and he mentioned to me that some of his interviewers remembered him from his residency interviews. This reminded us of an important point–

Good grades and professional accomplishments will get you only so far. The highest levels of academia are largely ruled by politics and social interactions. It’s a fact, so get used to it.

This makes some sense because at the level of post-doctoral/clinical fellows and above, most everyone is quite talented. What sets certain people apart (in terms of getting promotions or the jobs they want), is their knack of knowing the right people or schmoozing on the fly. Keep this important aspect of academics in mind from an early stage (e.g. graduate student or medical student) and practice meeting people of all levels at conferences and national meetings (this is probably the best reason I know of to go to a conference)–or even at your own institution. Meet and talk to as many different people as you can. I stress practicing as a student because no one expects much out of a student so there is no pressure on you. And, if you make a particularly good impression, you will be even more likely to be remembered.

The more comfortable you get at initiating and maintaining professional/scientific/medical conversations, the easier it will be when you are interviewing to move up the academic ladder–both in the interview process and in having interviewers who either have previously met you or have heard of you.