Networking and connecting can be incredibly rewarding. And as you get the hang of it you may determine that the time has come for you to start your own networking group. While many who choose to will succeed, the risk involved should be measured against the potential reward before jumping in.
Make contacts. Build a network of influential people within the field you want to enter. Find creative ways to approach them and maintain the connection once it is made. For example, why not offer to write an article for a trade magazine or website? You can choose a topic which gives you a reason to contact key people within the industry.
Think about a time when you needed to make a new connection, say, to a reliable auto mechanic. You may have started out by scanning the yellow pages only to realize that there’s no way to know who’s honest and competent. What do you do then? You do what everyone does: they turn to friends, family and acquaintances for a personal recommendation. If the first person you ask can’t offer you a good referral, he or she may know someone who can, and if not, you move on to the next person on your list, and the next. Pretty soon you make the connection you were looking for…even without your set of official computer networking skills!
In my 29 years of recruiting, I have talked with and trained over 200 recruiters around the country in advanced recruiting techniques. Given this, I’ve learned two things 1) the recruiting industry is not homogeneous and 2) we all may be different, but there is one constant; how we find people. There really isn’t anything all that unique about how recruiters go about locating potential candidates. We all use our networks and other people’s networks. This includes both on-line networks such as LinkedIn (Consider joining a LinkedIn Job Search Group) and off-line such as networking groups in our community.
Twitter tweets allowance is 140 characters. It may seem short, but you can get in quite a mouthful. No one ever said software defined networking had to be a long drawn out novel. Don’t underestimate the power of short and quick replies because with the right words they can add a lot of punch.
If you are one of those fearful of losing your job – or if you have already joined the unemployment line – I urge you to maintain a positive attitude. Worrying won’t help and, in fact, may create even more problems.
Who should be in your network? Customers, potential customers, entrepreneurs in other fields who serve the same types of customers you do, people who can mentor you, people you can mentor, people with information you need, and maybe even your competitors.
In reality there are a few things you must understand and the rest is based on your personality and your native comfort level, and your ability to sift through the opportunities for the good matches and recognize where you’re wasting your time.
Prepare promotional material that clearly and accurately states what your business is about. Take your business cards for example and ask yourself whether they pass the “Ronseal” test – do they do what it says on the tin?
The negotiating that goes on at the proverbial bargaining table can become incredibly one sided if one party has done his homework and the other has not. Use these tips to ensure you (and the other guy) walk away from the negotiating table victorious. Always strive for win/win as the ultimate goal.