{"id":83785,"date":"2014-11-03T11:10:53","date_gmt":"2014-11-03T17:10:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=83785"},"modified":"2014-11-03T11:06:32","modified_gmt":"2014-11-03T17:06:32","slug":"network-network-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=83785","title":{"rendered":"Network. Network. Network."},"content":{"rendered":"

by Rachael Altman, Senior Assistant,\u00a0INALJ Illinois<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Network. Network. Network.<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"rachaelaltman\"<\/a>Taking that first step to put yourself out there can be intimidating, but it’s essential to take\u00a0calculated risks in order to grow personally and professionally. Networking is about establishing\u00a0a relationship and a rapport with this person so that you are the first person that comes to mind\u00a0when an opportunity presents itself.<\/p>\n

In the Harvard Business Review<\/a> article, Never say no to networking<\/a>, Kathryn Mishew, founder\u00a0and CEO of The Muse and The Daily Muse<\/a>, offers the following takeaways on the power of\u00a0networks:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Always say yes to invitations, even if it\u2019s not clear what you\u2019ll get out of the meeting.<\/p>\n

\u2022 When you want something, broadcast that to everyone you meet.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Show up, and often.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Be the person they saw yesterday as often as possible.<\/p>\n

I’ve discovered that people are very willing to spend time sharing information about their career\u00a0path, especially if they are passionate about the work they do. But before you start contacting\u00a0people, you need to do your homework.<\/p>\n

First, relax and be yourself. Know your values and your purpose, figure out where you want to\u00a0focus your efforts, and then create a list of companies and contacts that meets your criteria. In\u00a0the Harvard Business Review<\/a> article, Five Steps to Building Your Network<\/a>, Douglas R. Conant\u00a0advises to figure out where you want to focus your efforts by asking yourself some important\u00a0questions:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Do you want to work for a large corporation, a medium-sized company, or a startup?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Are you interested in marketing, sales, manufacturing, IT or any other specific function?<\/p>\n

\u2022 What are your geography limitations?<\/p>\n

Figuring out what you want to do and where you want to go allows you to branch out and\u00a0connect with people with different skills and experiences. Your network can be your strongest\u00a0asset for growing in your current position, launching a new career, and challenging and\u00a0expanding your perspective.<\/p>\n

Build your professional social media presence<\/strong><\/p>\n

Use tools and technology to your advantage. In the article, 7 (Must-Have) Tools for Your Job\u00a0Hunting Kit<\/a>, Naomi House, founder of I Need A Library Job, states, \u201cmost of us already use\u00a0tools in our job hunt, but what we may not be doing is using them together . . . Especially where\u00a0social media is concerned, our online presence can help us connect and network with potential\u00a0employers no matter where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Update your LinkedIn profile. Make it polished, professional, and reflective of your authentic self.\u00a0Utilize keywords that will attract potential employers to your profile. Join LinkedIn groups that\u00a0are relevant to your career path, and join in the conversations in those groups. Use LinkedIn to\u00a0connect with people who have the kind of jobs you want or who work at companies where you\u2019d\u00a0like to work.<\/p>\n

LinkedIn creates the opportunity to reach out to people for information interviews and potential\u00a0job opportunities. Send messages to people in your network, get introduced to new contacts,\u00a0and, if you can afford the additional fee, it may be worth it to join LinkedIn Premium, which\u00a0allows you to send InMail to people who are not in your network.<\/p>\n

Attend conferences and networking events<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, the setting of your networking depends how formal or informal you should be.\u00a0Regardless of the setting, introduce yourself, share some of your interests and passions, and\u00a0ask questions so that you create a conversation.<\/p>\n

Most professional organizations and companies have calendars with upcoming networking\u00a0events and webinars. It’s a good idea to check these websites for updates, join listservs, and\u00a0follow these organizations and companies on social media.<\/p>\n

If you’re attending an event, do some research on the location, organization, and people who\u00a0may be there. Know the crowd, dress to impress, and bring business cards and copies of your\u00a0resume (just in case you have the opportunity to pass it along).<\/p>\n

Utilize your personal network and surround yourself with the right people.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your friends and family will love you no matter what, but they most likely won’t help you get a\u00a0job unless they know you’re qualified and have a good work ethic. Your most power tool is your\u00a0personal network. Friends, family, teachers, colleagues, mentors, they all know people who\u00a0know people who know people, and these people may be able to connect you with an exciting\u00a0opportunity. For example, my friend recently got an internship with a technology non-profit. She\u00a0learned of this internship through me, applied for the position, I referred her for the job, and she\u00a0got the job. She was totally qualified, but vouching for her tech skills as well as her character\u00a0helped secure the position.<\/p>\n

Surround yourself with dreamers and doers, those who inspire you, those who challenge you,\u00a0those who can support you through this journey, and remember to keep moving forward. Be not\u00a0afraid of moving slowly. Be afraid of standing still. \u2013 Chinese Proverb<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Rachael Altman, Senior Assistant,\u00a0INALJ Illinois Network. Network. Network. Taking that first step to put yourself out there can be intimidating, but it’s essential to take\u00a0calculated risks in order to grow personally and professionally. Networking is about establishing\u00a0a relationship and a rapport with this person so that you are the first person that comes to…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":71697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[69,3592,3609,6649,356,5278,3970,3552],"class_list":["post-83785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-article","tag-blog","tag-inalj-illinois","tag-network-building","tag-networking","tag-networking-online","tag-rachael-altman","tag-social-media"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/rachaelaltman1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-lNn","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/71697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=83785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=83785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}