NETWORKING: A Career Strategy

We network effectively in our daily life to find trusted auto mechanics, the best doctors, the least expensive grocery store—we ask our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers… THAT is networking!  And what makes it work for us is the interaction involved, we are communicating with others in its most basic form.

So why panic and freeze during career transition?  Simply begin where ever you find yourself right now… and build from there for the rest of your career.  Technology is your friend, here.  Technology is the best way to leverage the time that you have available for productive and efficient networking.  Technology provides you the tools; but remember, technology is not a replacement for your #1 task… it is up to you to identify and develop those relationships that will get you the results you seek… for the rest of your career.

 Networking is a contact sport!

 WHERE To Start

 As a contact sport, networking is about interaction between sender and receiver, buyer and seller… job seeker and potential employers.  The great news is that you get to start from YOUR ‘sweet spot’ or middle ground where all this interaction occurs the easiest!  You start with people that you already know or have some connection to.

If your ‘natural network’ doesn’t have a regular meeting—most do not, by their very diverse nature—groups of like minded people are easy to identify and attend.  As you begin to reach out and broaden your ‘sweet spot,’ be selective in your attempt to create a supportive ‘community’ grouping close to your targeted marketplace.