Networking Tips

Networking is the process of establishing and cultivating mutually beneficial relationships. Proficient networkers are the "go-to" people — not just because they can quickly identify who has what you need or who needs what you have, but also because they communicate quickly and effectively.

Organize your personal and professional lives.
Keep records of who you meet and when you met them, plus such key information as their needs, desires and abilities -- and, most importantly, the best way to contact them.

Get and use a Rolodex® and personal organizer or an electronic equivalent.
Always record new acquaintances as soon as practical after meeting them.

Be accessible.
Communication is the lifeblood of networking. Becoming incommunicado is good for hermits and celebrities, not professionals.

Listen to people.
Networking requires communication, and you can't communicate if you don't hear what the other person is telling you.

Keep communicating.
Regularly contact friends and acquaintances so that they remain an active part of your network.

Work every gathering.
Introducing yourself allows others to stay in their comfort zones while you identify yourself as confidently assertive — i.e., a natural leader. Introducing other people not only helps you remember their names, it also reinforces your reputation as a mover and enabler.

Shyness kills.
Be assertive about letting people know who you are, what you do, and what you are seeking without asking for a job. Do not bore people by detailing what you used to be or your transitional state of underemployment.

Always ask for other people's business cards.
Not only does this get you an easily read copy of their particulars, it also prompts them to ask for one of your cards.

Never give just a single business card.
You want the other person to always have one as a reference, even after giving several away.

Never stop networking.
Contacts you make today can bring returns months and years from now.

A functioning network will open doors as the people who have seen your worth convince prospective employers that they need you.