I don't have time for you

It goes down as one of the shortest, most unproductive networking meetings ever. Thank goodness it wasn't over coffee as I would have had 2 sips and wasted $3.72.

Somewhere between saying hello and starting my 2 sentence introduction of being new to town, I was interrupted.

"So what?" asked the long black-haired, middle-aged woman who, as I entered her cluttered office, remained behind her desk. "What do you want?"

"Connections," I responded, trying to match her brevity. "I'd like to know what you do."

"Are you looking for job?"

"Well, yes." I said a bit uncomfortably. "I'm seeking my next career step."

"Well, welcome to Charlottesville. It's a college-town, and the University is on a freeze. There are no jobs here or anywhere in town. I have investors breathing down my neck for performance. I don't have time to help you. What else do you want?"

At this point I had a choice: I could either remind this unpleasant woman that I wanted to learn more about how she helped professors turn ideas into profitable (hopefully) businesses and for what, specifically, were her investors looking. Or I could move on.

Realizing this was going no-where, I chose the latter.

"Nothing."

I stood, reached across her desk to shake her hand, and thanked her for the 90 seconds. She didn't reach back. Maybe she was startled that she had gotten me in and out of her office in under 3 minutes. Maybe she was afraid of germs.

As I left her office happy with my decision to move on, it dawned on me. When free time is all you have, don't waste a minute of it with unfriendly, unhelpful people.