“Everything and everyone is connected. Everything works in a network,” says Faizan-e-Ali Mir. With a background in Computer Engineering and currently, as Senior Network Engineer for the 2degrees technical team in Auckland, it is expected that Mir would talk this language.

The networker was nominated for the Challenger Value Award out of 1,100 employees at 2degrees, and his definition of ‘networking’ is indeed a reflection of his challenging mindset.

Originally from Pakistan, Mir’s journey to success – which still has to go to many new and better places – imparts a great sense of wisdom and insight to professional migrant communities. He goes on to explain that the elusive term of ‘networking’ is constantly used and thrown around vaguely in professional environments.

Mir not only professionally manages ‘networking’ for a living, but also employs it as an everyday philosophy. He describes it as a “privilege”, especially for those who come to a new country as a migrant, with little or no networking.

Mir went on to say that all his significant professional affiliations, whether local or international, came about because of the vital networks he forged through LinkedIn. He also build up strong workplace relationships during his time spent at each job he took up. He is quick to highlight that as he moved jobs, he never gave up on the contacts he established.

“Listening skills are the key to relationship-building,” explains Mir, adding, “we need to develop the ability to listen well and take advice when it matters most.”

While pursuing his Bachelors in Computer Science, Mir listened to his tertiary advisors and gathered several IT vendor certifications. It is this drive and constant challenging nature that has helped Mir finish the course work for a Masters in Engineering Management from the University of Auckland. He is now writing the dissertation, which he believes will enable him to tackle the next challenge in the constantly changing needs in his area of work.

Mir has worked in Dubai and Oman, before moving to New Zealand. He feels his wealth of resourcefulness has increased manifold because he is able to receive professional endorsements from around the world. By way of sharing some pearls of wisdom, he advises, “Wherever we are in a particular moment in time, we should use our interaction with others as a means of learning and sharing.”

Our connectedness is preserved through the process of networking. It retains and records the sharing, and potentially opens for us the doorway to alternatives and new perspectives. But this is successful only if we are willing to listen and seek the challenge. Afterall, every interaction in a connected world is a learning; it depends on what you seek and what you get out of it.

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