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The best way
to find a job is through the people you know. If you
want to establish some new relationships, networking is
one way to do this. Some people think of networking as
going to lots of meetings. That is only one piece of
networking but not the total picture. By attending
meetings you do get to meet a lot of possible
connections at one time. The next step in networking is
to find people with whom you can build a mutually
beneficial relationship. Those are people you will want
to reconnect with to explore how you can work together
in a way that is beneficial for both of you.
1.
Networking is about building trust. People can only
learn to trust you with multiple exposures. Offering
them something of value and delivering on it is a way to
begin to establish trust. As you talk to people, listen
carefully to what they need and want and then help them
get it by introducing them to someone who could be
helpful or sending them an article, a website, or a book
that is on a topic that they need.
2.
Find groups that cater to your industry or profession
and take an active role. Join committees and/or
volunteer for positions. Let people see and hear you in
action.
3.
If you are a reluctant networker, resist the urge to
give up after one meeting. ("Networking never works for
me.") Keep at it and watch others who seem successful at
it. If you are open to learning how to do it well then
over time it does get easier.
4.
Social networking is networking too. Make an effort to
move your online connections from email to phone and/or
face to face if possible.
5.
Networking can serve many purposes. You have a chance to
meet those who could hire you or know someone who could
hire you. You can meet someone also looking for work who
knows about job openings you have not heard about. You
also get to interact with others. This is particularly
important when you are out of work and have no
officemates for camaraderie. Many of my clients tell me
they feel depressed when they are isolated for long
periods of time. Networking can be an antidote for
feeling isolated.
6.
At the end of an event say good bye to those you have
met over the course of the time you spent. Be sure to
call each person by name if you remember it. Work on
remembering names. It is a wonderful skill to have and
makes you memorable.
7.
Don't excuse yourself from networking in order to stay
at home and apply for more jobs online. Most jobs are
found through face to face connections. Make time in
your day for networking to make those connections.
8.
If you are uncomfortable going to a networking group for
the first time, try going with a friend. Be careful
however not to spend all your time talking only to your
friend. Have a plan to meet people yourselves and come
back together occasionally. Make a game of it. You might
target the type of person you want to meet and then plan
to introduce your friend later to your targets. Your
friend can do the same for you.
9.
As you talk to people in a networking group look for
opportunities to introduce someone you just met to
someone you are talking to. The reasons to make the
introduction could be that they are in complimentary
fields or because you know the person you are talking to
will benefit from something the other person has or
knows.
10.
When you are alone and enter a crowded room for
networking look for people standing alone. They will be
happy to talk to you and you don't have to interrupt an
ongoing conversation. Be open to others joining you so
that you don't spend the whole time talking to the same
person during the networking event.
Alvah
Parker is a Practice Advisor for Attorneys and a Career
Coach as well as publisher of Parker's Points, an
email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine with
career and business information. Subscribe now to these
free
monthly publications at her website and receive a
free values assessment along with your subscription.
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