I was pleasantly surprised recently when during one of job search techniques workshop for transitioning and retiring military professionals, one of the participants offered a great suggestion. He pointed out that in order to really make the networking exercise make sense, the entire class should create a sign-in sheet with their names, email addresses, and job search targets.
I was happy! Finally, someone really gets it. Networking is not some vague notion of people standing in a room passing around business cards and resumes, it can be a simple as making a promise to another jobseeker that "I will support you through this process - you keep an eye out for jobs that I am interested in and I will do the same for you."
Networking is vital for everyone, not just job seekers. As a soloprenuer, I depend heavily on networking to support my business and identify opportunities for new business ventures, partnerships, and consulting projects. The last three consulting projects I secured all came through networking.
But, like anything else in life, you have to build, nurture, and protect your network in order to reap the benefits.
Chris Brogan offers some valuable strategies for keeping your network alive. According to him:
"If you lose your job today, how many people can you reach, and who would be helpful? Think harder about the names of those people. Have you talked with them lately in ANY form?
How do you stay connected to your network’s news? Do you watch the news stream on LinkedIn? Do you watch the updates on Facebook, Friendfeed, and other social networks? 20 minutes or less on these platforms often gives you some interesting pieces of information, and might sometimes prompt a message out to people in your network."
How are you keeping up with your network?
