Why Genuine Connections Crush Superficial Networking

Why Genuine Connections Crush Superficial Networking

Surface-Level Networking is for Amateurs

We've all seen them. The cocktail party butterflies who flit from person to person, dropping names and buzzwords faster than bad crypto advice. They stuff pockets with business cards, and you see them later on LinkedIn, over-sharing their latest shallow victories. But genuine human connection? Forget it. They're too busy tracking how many followers they snagged that night. Here's the kicker: their network is wide yet paper thin. It's the illusion of influence, not the reality. Real power isn't in knowing everyone a little; it's in knowing a few people really well. The kind of connections who answer your midnight texts and give brutally honest advice that you actually listen to. So, stop counting your likes and start cultivating relationships where depth matters more than breadth.

Depth Beats Reach Every Single Time

Here's the unpopular truth: genuine connections aren't flashy. They rarely happen in crowded rooms or noisy networking events designed to be forgotten tomorrow. Instead, real relationships form quietly, built on trust over countless conversations. They're nurtured by moments of authenticity, vulnerability, and mutual support. These relationships take effort, patience, and a willingness to actually listen rather than wait your turn to talk. Yeah, I know, patience isn't exactly on trend right now. But depth always beats reach. A single deep connection can offer more support, insight, and genuine opportunities than a thousand superficial followers. Investing in meaningful relationships isn't just emotionally satisfying—it’s strategically superior.

Vulnerability: The Ultimate Networking Hack

Want the real hack nobody talks about? Vulnerability. Nothing accelerates connection faster than dropping the facade and getting real. But that scares the living daylights out of most folks. We're trained to project strength, confidence, and unshakeable success. But here's the thing, vulnerability isn't weakness—it's pure power. Showing people your true self invites them to do the same. This mutual honesty creates an unbreakable bond. Ever notice how quickly camaraderie forms in a crisis? It's because defenses drop, revealing who people really are. Harness that deliberately, outside of crisis mode, and watch your relationships transform. Risking authenticity is exactly what sets leaders apart from followers.

How to Start Building Genuine Connections Right Now

Alright, you're sold, but how do you actually do this? Simple—stop the shallow chatter and ask real questions. Forget about trying to impress and start by being genuinely interested. Ask someone what they're struggling with and mean it. Offer help without strings. Celebrate their wins like they're your own. Check-in when you don't need something. Stop multitasking during conversations and truly focus. No, you're not too busy—you're just not prioritizing correctly. Realize that meaningful connections are investments, not quick wins. The best part? Every effort you put into genuine relationships pays off exponentially. Authentic connection doesn't just improve your network—it elevates your entire life.

How Do I Network? | Career Rocketeer - Career Search and Personal Branding Blog

While this may sound like a strange question, it is one that I get asked often. Since we are all looking for opportunities for greater success, networking is a skill we might want to learn. In this post, I’ll take a look at some of the reasons for our inability to connect with others and how we might be able to overcome them.

It’s not hard to understand why it’s important to be able to network. A quick look at the job situation in March shows that we are about 30,000 jobs short of what we need to keep up with our growing US population. Right now, the government is holding these numbers up with temporary census jobs. Once that’s over, competition will get really fierce (like it isn’t already). At this rate, you can expect it to take 5 to 8 years to catch up. That should give us plenty of time to learn some networking skills.

Once these opportunities start showing up, we’ll need to connect with people on the inside of companies to get a job, since that’s how most jobs are filled. Yep, it’s a little thing called referrals. It’s a trump card that can win you the game. Of course, they are not so easy to get. You have to network with others, get to know them and convince them to help you. Here are a few reasons why this might be tough for you.

Academia doesn’t teach it. The college years were fun and teach us a lot of skills that we can use to improve our career. As an engineer, I learned more than I wanted to know about physics, chemistry, material science and electronics. The one thing we never discussed in those 6 years (bachelors and masters) was how to work a room full of people. If I had been looking for a good engineering job that didn’t require me to interact with people, I was setup for success.

Unfortunately, I got a job in a company that was full of people. To make matters worse, they didn’t speak the engineering language. Once I began interacting with my fellow employees from quality, HR, management, contracts, production and so on, I realized that if I had any intentions of being successful, I had to learn to read people and speak in ways they could understand. Otherwise, I ran the risk of creating my own communication barriers, which could easily blind me of opportunities.

We don’t make attempts to practice it. Networking is not just a skill, it’s an art. Sure, there are some basic aspects of communicating with people that will make you better, but it takes practice to make yourself great. How many events do you attend each year? Most of us don’t push the development of our skills by registering for social or business conferences. These are perfect venues for establishing connections in other companies, industries and geographical locations.

Maybe we avoid these things because we feel out of place. It moves us away from our comfort zone. But this is often exactly what companies are looking for. They want someone who can walk into a strange situation, with little information, and take charge of it. Anyone can follow, but few can lead. As I learned as an engineer, your daily job doesn’t provide a whole of chances to improve your networking skills. I don’t mean that you don’t develop friendships with your coworkers. That’s not the situation where you can excel. Your opportunities come from successfully building working relationships with the people you don’t know, such as suppliers, clients, potential customers, vendors and contractors.

We don’t understand the value. I’ll have to admit it, but it took me quite a few years to assess the real value in networking. I’m not talking about the conversations around the water cooler. I’m talking about stepping into a room where I didn’t know a single soul in the room. However, when I left, I had business cards from numerous people, whom I followed up with and are still in contact with today.

It wasn’t so easy at first. I would enter the auditorium but would keep to myself. I didn’t interact much, except for this one time when I was at an event I actually knew someone else who was in the audience. He was an old colleague and a big networker. I figured he would have fun with me since he knew I was out of my element. However, he showed me around and introduced me to several people. It put me at ease. From then on, I realized that people were in the room. You know, people just like me and you. They think the same things, feel the same things and even seek the same things.

Each new contact leads me down a new road, for which most of them lead to another new contact. This is expanding your network. It’s a simple concept. You walk up to someone you don’t know and introduce yourself. You ask a few questions about them to learn who they are, what interests them and what things you share in common. If you find a lot of commonalities with your new contacts make sure to follow-up with them later to share your schedule and list of activities (in case they are interested in one of them). If you need help, you ask them for it and you encourage them to do the same. The relationship is mutually beneficial.

Sounds simple right? Well, it is. It doesn’t take much more than what I just defined in the previous chapter. Most often the obstacles to networking that get in the way and keep you from connecting with others are inside your head. You are your biggest obstacle. How do you overcome it? Keep putting yourself outside of your comfort zone. Eventually, it isn’t uncomfortable. At this point, it’s a whole new world. Your eyes will be opened and you’ll wonder why we fear what we don’t know.

New roads will lead you to new adventures. This is what we talk about when we say we are looking for new opportunities. Notice though that the opportunities don’t just come directly to you. You actually have to meet people to find these new paths. Then, you must walk the path and be able to recognize the opportunity. Lastly, you must act on it. It’s not hard work. Spending four or more years solving a lot of textbook problems was hard work.

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Author:

Todd Rhoad, MSEE, MBA is the Director at BT Consulting, a career consulting firm in Altanta, and author of the book, Blitz The Ladder. Stay tuned for his upcoming book, The MBA Owners Manual, coming out this year. Todd can be reached at todd.rhoad@blitzteamconsulting.com.

via careerrocketeer.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

From J. Lory and other Northern California Jobs group members on LinkedIn

Below is a great example of social networking and building your network.

In March of this year, my Linked-In profile was compromised. I am attempting to reestablish connections past and present. I have 10+ years of delivering full-life-cycle recruiting services to web-based and advanced software application technology companies, including all levels of software product development, associated engineering and services, and product marketing and sales. I am extremely well versed in advanced sourcing techniques. Primary areas of work have been specific to ERP practices, E-Business, SAAS platforms, mobile & media, and advanced communications.

I am currently seeking contract recruiting work in the Bay Area/ Silicon Valley region. Please feel free to establish [or reestablish] connections with me. My Linked-In profile can be found at www.linkedin.com/in/jlory1

Thanks in advance. By J. Lory, Sr. Recruiter :: Information Technology

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Tips for Saving Time while Building Your Personal Brand | Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel

Are you one of the many who use lack of time as a reason to put-off building a personal brand by writing provocative thought leadership articles, books, starting a podcast, frequently updating your blog, or submitting guest posts on other blogs?

If you don’t have the time now, when will you have the time?

Lack of time is an unfortunate reality for most of us; today, everyone is stretched then by family demands, financial pressures, job expectations, and an “always connected” Internet/cell phone world.

Nevertheless, each year, new subject area experts appear as competitors in every area.

What’s their secret?

Since everyone shares 24-hour days, and no amount of wishful thinking is likely to reduce your workload, there are mainly just 2 things you can do to find the time to build your personal brand:

1. Commitment. Commitment means making your personal brand a priority in your life, not just something you do when you finish your “real” job. Commitment involves recognizing the importance of creating a personal brand, making difficult choices, and cultivating the habits needed to create the content you need to establish a a compelling personal brand in your field.
2. Efficiency. After making the commitment to build your personal brand, you have to cultivate the habits of efficiency. Efficiency involves multiplying your time by accomplishing in 30-minutes a day what would normally take you 60 or 90 minutes a day. Efficiency involves writing strategically, so your words and key ideas can be leveraged as broadly as possible.

The following are some ideas learned from authors and subject area experts whom I’ve interviewed during the past 18 months.

7 time-saving personal branding tips

1. Time limits. Try writing your blog posts in 30-minutes, or less. Stress builds, and productivity often gets clogged, when you take a writing task too seriously. The solution is to commit to writing your blog posts in 30-minutes. Words are far more likely to flow when you spend your time writing, rather than over-thinking the topic before you begin writing. Writing quickly also gives you more time to review and self-edit your post before sharing it with the Internet.
2. Technology. One recently self-published author I interviewed purchased an inexpensive, hand-held digital recorder and dictates blog posts and sections of chapters while driving to client meetings or stopped at traffic lights. When he gets back, he plugs the digital recorder into his computer, and his voice recognition software program transcribes his dictation and prepares the first draft.
3. Expanding topics. Although the practice is by no means universal, more and more individuals are building their personal brands and leveraging their writing by expanding blog posts into articles, ebooks, and chapters of brand-building books.
4. Condensing topics. The same idea works in reverse; blog posts can be condensed to their essence and reused as tip sheets and sidebars in articles and books.
5. Reformatting. Content ideas should transcend media; ideas that first appear as blog posts can be addressed in podcasts and YouTube videos. Likewise, after creating a podcast, you might be able to convert the topic into 2 or 3 separate blog posts addressing aspects of the podcast. Each media has its own followers. More important, each time you re-address a topic, you’re likely to come up with new ideas.

   

6. Live connections. One of the easiest ways to develop new content is to present an on-going series of free interviews and teleseminars which are recorded and transcribed.  Live events create deadlines that overcome procrastination and prompt action. Your enthusiasm builds, and your voice changes, when you’re projecting to a live audience, and the ideas flow as they tend to during conversations.
7. Crowd-sourcing. Many profitable personal brands have been based on tapping into the power of others, often by providing an opportunity for others to share their expertise and ideas. By soliciting success stories and examples of mistakes made and lessons learned, or even just commenting on the videos found on the TED.Org site, ( not only taps into the power of story, but provides a foundation for your critical analyses and observations.

Personal branding sense demands efficient content creation

The above are just a few of the ways you can save time while building your personal brand with helpful and relevant content. There’s no time to waste! If you want to succeed in the Web 2.0 world, you must establish your personal brand, and personal brands dependent content. Your ability to build your personal brand is, ultimately, tied to your ability to save time creating content. Do you agree? What’s your favorite time-saving technique? Do you have a tip you’d like to share with others? Submit your ideas as comments, below.

Author:

Roger C. Parker shares ideas for planning writing, promoting, & profiting ideas and strategies in his daily writing tips blog. His latest book is #BOOK TITLE Tweet: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas for Compelling Article, Book, & Event Titles.

via personalbrandingblog.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Movin' On Up: What Has Your Network Done For You Lately?

When you’re looking for a job, the importance of networking cannot be emphasized enough. Having a network of contacts is vital to ensuring your job hunt success. Yes, it’s imperative to study hard while you’re in school and do well within your field of study, but the old saying holds true: It’s not what you know, it’s about who you know that counts.

Who you know could bring about some new life-changing possibilities for you – and a job opportunity could be one. That’s why you need to make sure you’re meeting as many people as possible and focusing on building quality relationships with them. And, you always need to continue building your contact base – even after you’ve been working for 30 years. Social networking is great, and it’s definitely a must, but doing a little networking in person also never hurts. So, what are some basic tips to ensure your networking works for you?

Meet in person. Regardless of what type of networking you do, there’s still no substitute for meeting a person face-to-face and shaking hands. A direct meeting helps leave more of a lasting impression of who you are.

Start going to professional meetings. There are many professional organizations within your field of interest. Usually, they have regular meetings once a month and charge a small fee to attendees. But, it’s often worth the investment! This is a great place for you to meet several people at once and gain some new knowledge, since many of these meetings bring in guest presenters to broaden your skills. If you are unsure what professional meetings are available in your city, contact your local chamber of commerce to find out which organizations can benefit you.

Be prepared at all times. To ensure you put your best foot forward and present a great first impression, always have business cards and your résumé on hand with all of your contact information. In addition, have an elevator speech prepared. Be able to identify your skills and the type of job you’re looking for. Also, don’t avoid bragging about yourself a little. This is your chance to tell why you’d be a great employee. The goal is to show your networking contact how polished and confident you are – but just be sure to not come across as too confident because that can make you look arrogant. 

Follow-up with contacts. Your networking’s not over just because the networking event ended. You have to continue building relationships with the professionals you meet. Send a quick e-mail or mail a note after the meeting to let key contacts know how glad you were to meet them. This will give potential employers a chance to respond back to you, helping open the door for more communication down the road.

Online networking. Be sure to have an online presence when it comes to networking. Create profiles on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and add the professional contacts you know. Networking is most effective when you combine both face-to-face and online options. After you meet someone in person, send them a friend request on Facebook, add them as a connection on LinkedIn, or follow them on Twitter.  Just, be aware of what your social networks reveal about you and make sure you project the same impression online that you do in person.

Networking is a great way to get your foot in the door when you’re looking for work. Building a broad range of connections is a good idea – but just remember to build relationships with those contacts! Doing so takes time, but the end result is well worth the effort because the top way that people find a job is through a referral. So, get started today! 

via blog.expresspersonnel.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Searching For a Job? Network and Stand Out From the Crowd! - Secrets of the Job Hunt Career Podcast

Networking is the best way to find a job in our current economy and it helps you to stand out from the crowd. Although it may take time to establish a network of colleagues, networking has great rewards if done correctly. The Merriam Webster's Dictionary defines Networking as: "the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically: the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business."

There are many websites where can go to network, but I feel that LinkedIn is the best tool for professional networking. LinkedIn gives you access to CEOs, recruiters, hiring managers, and other individuals whom you usually would not have access to. You can target and research specific companies, then follow up by searching LinkedIn to find and connect with someone in the target company.

Most people feel that networking for a job simply entails contacting friends or former coworkers. However, it involves much more than that. Do not depend solely on your current network of friends; keep reaching out to new people and expand your network. I have met wonderful, and might I add, helpful individuals on LinkedIn. Make a network plan and first think about what you can share with others in order to help them. Always bring something valuable to the table and others will be willing and ready to assist you. It could be something as simple as giving advice, sharing a great career article, passing on job or business leads.

In addition to networking, you can stand out in other ways. When you respond to a position on a job board, always look to see if a phone number is included in the job ad. Assuming the ad doesn't preclude contact with the company, call and follow up in a few days. Companies receive so many resumes and cannot respond to each applicant; your resume might not even reach its destination because of being automatically filtered by resume scanning software. I recently called a recruiter to follow up on a position I had applied for. When the recruiter could not find my resume, he asked me to resend it while I was on the phone with him. My follow-up phone call resulted in an instant interview.

Most people are applying for jobs online; so why not try faxing your resume if a fax number is provided in the job posting? If the company provides an address and doesn't have any restrictions, send your resume with a cover letter via snail mail (U.S. Postal Service).

When searching for a job, remember to be flexible. You may need to take a position that pays less or something out of your chosen field, but at least you will get your foot in the door and generate income.

Networking can be intimidating when you first start out, but put aside all your fears and go for it! In tough times, there will be fierce competition for any available job; networking might give you the edge that you need to get your foot in the door or at least help you to gain access to a decision maker. Be sure to include all forms of networking in your career search, including professional/social online networking, and in-person networking; do not rely on any one method. Online networking on LinkedIn is great, but don't exclude face-to-face networking.

So are you ready to stand out from the crowd? Get out there, network, and land that job!

Author Bio:

Marleen is a multi-faceted Information Technology professional, with numerous transferrable skills. For the past few years, she has been in a role of a UNIX Systems Administrator; but she also has a vast background in technical, and application support as well. Marleen’s strong technical, customer service, and interpersonal skills have afforded her the opportunity to assume different roles over the years.

In her spare time, Marleen likes to write articles or various topics such as careers, job search, social/professional networking and one day she hopes to write a book. In 2008 Marleen learned that it is very important to have a “Plan B” (backup plan) career plan, and she found a way to turn her writing hobby into an additional income stream. Now she writes for business owners and content sites, which pay to write articles. As a result, Marleen’s articles have been published in magazines, and numerous company & association newsletters.

If you would like to keep up with Marleen’s writing, please feel free to visit her article-bookmarking site at http://www.xomba.com/user/redy2assist (scroll all the way to the bottom to view articles).

You may also wish to subscribe to her articles on Google FeedBurner at feeds.feedburner.com/xomba/xdpC

via secretsofthejobhunt.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Searching For a Job? Network and Stand Out From the Crowd! - Secrets of the Job Hunt Career Podcast

Networking is the best way to find a job in our current economy and it helps you to stand out from the crowd. Although it may take time to establish a network of colleagues, networking has great rewards if done correctly. The Merriam Webster's Dictionary defines Networking as: "the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically: the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business."

There are many websites where can go to network, but I feel that LinkedIn is the best tool for professional networking. LinkedIn gives you access to CEOs, recruiters, hiring managers, and other individuals whom you usually would not have access to. You can target and research specific companies, then follow up by searching LinkedIn to find and connect with someone in the target company.

Most people feel that networking for a job simply entails contacting friends or former coworkers. However, it involves much more than that. Do not depend solely on your current network of friends; keep reaching out to new people and expand your network. I have met wonderful, and might I add, helpful individuals on LinkedIn. Make a network plan and first think about what you can share with others in order to help them. Always bring something valuable to the table and others will be willing and ready to assist you. It could be something as simple as giving advice, sharing a great career article, passing on job or business leads.

In addition to networking, you can stand out in other ways. When you respond to a position on a job board, always look to see if a phone number is included in the job ad. Assuming the ad doesn't preclude contact with the company, call and follow up in a few days. Companies receive so many resumes and cannot respond to each applicant; your resume might not even reach its destination because of being automatically filtered by resume scanning software. I recently called a recruiter to follow up on a position I had applied for. When the recruiter could not find my resume, he asked me to resend it while I was on the phone with him. My follow-up phone call resulted in an instant interview.

Most people are applying for jobs online; so why not try faxing your resume if a fax number is provided in the job posting? If the company provides an address and doesn't have any restrictions, send your resume with a cover letter via snail mail (U.S. Postal Service).

When searching for a job, remember to be flexible. You may need to take a position that pays less or something out of your chosen field, but at least you will get your foot in the door and generate income.

Networking can be intimidating when you first start out, but put aside all your fears and go for it! In tough times, there will be fierce competition for any available job; networking might give you the edge that you need to get your foot in the door or at least help you to gain access to a decision maker. Be sure to include all forms of networking in your career search, including professional/social online networking, and in-person networking; do not rely on any one method. Online networking on LinkedIn is great, but don't exclude face-to-face networking.

So are you ready to stand out from the crowd? Get out there, network, and land that job!

Author Bio:

Marleen is a multi-faceted Information Technology professional, with numerous transferrable skills. For the past few years, she has been in a role of a UNIX Systems Administrator; but she also has a vast background in technical, and application support as well. Marleen’s strong technical, customer service, and interpersonal skills have afforded her the opportunity to assume different roles over the years.

In her spare time, Marleen likes to write articles or various topics such as careers, job search, social/professional networking and one day she hopes to write a book. In 2008 Marleen learned that it is very important to have a “Plan B” (backup plan) career plan, and she found a way to turn her writing hobby into an additional income stream. Now she writes for business owners and content sites, which pay to write articles. As a result, Marleen’s articles have been published in magazines, and numerous company & association newsletters.

If you would like to keep up with Marleen’s writing, please feel free to visit her article-bookmarking site at http://www.xomba.com/user/redy2assist (scroll all the way to the bottom to view articles).

You may also wish to subscribe to her articles on Google FeedBurner at feeds.feedburner.com/xomba/xdpC

via secretsofthejobhunt.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

How Do I Network?

While this may sound like a strange question, it is one that I get asked often. Since we are all looking for opportunities for greater success, networking is a skill we might want to learn. In this post, I’ll take a look at some of the reasons for our inability to connect with others and how we might be able to overcome them.

It’s not hard to understand why it’s important to be able to network. A quick look at the job situation in March shows that we are about 30,000 jobs short of what we need to keep up with our growing US population. Right now, the government is holding these numbers up with temporary census jobs. Once that’s over, competition will get really fierce (like it isn’t already). At this rate, you can expect it to take 5 to 8 years to catch up. That should give us plenty of time to learn some networking skills.

Once these opportunities start showing up, we’ll need to connect with people on the inside of companies to get a job, since that’s how most jobs are filled. Yep, it’s a little thing called referrals. It’s a trump card that can win you the game. Of course, they are not so easy to get. You have to network with others, get to know them and convince them to help you. Here are a few reasons why this might be tough for you.

Academia doesn’t teach it. The college years were fun and teach us a lot of skills that we can use to improve our career. As an engineer, I learned more than I wanted to know about physics, chemistry, material science and electronics. The one thing we never discussed in those 6 years (bachelors and masters) was how to work a room full of people. If I had been looking for a good engineering job that didn’t require me to interact with people, I was setup for success.

Unfortunately, I got a job in a company that was full of people. To make matters worse, they didn’t speak the engineering language. Once I began interacting with my fellow employees from quality, HR, management, contracts, production and so on, I realized that if I had any intentions of being successful, I had to learn to read people and speak in ways they could understand. Otherwise, I ran the risk of creating my own communication barriers, which could easily blind me of opportunities.

We don’t make attempts to practice it. Networking is not just a skill, it’s an art. Sure, there are some basic aspects of communicating with people that will make you better, but it takes practice to make yourself great. How many events do you attend each year? Most of us don’t push the development of our skills by registering for social or business conferences. These are perfect venues for establishing connections in other companies, industries and geographical locations.

Maybe we avoid these things because we feel out of place. It moves us away from our comfort zone. But this is often exactly what companies are looking for. They want someone who can walk into a strange situation, with little information, and take charge of it. Anyone can follow, but few can lead. As I learned as an engineer, your daily job doesn’t provide a whole of chances to improve your networking skills. I don’t mean that you don’t develop friendships with your coworkers. That’s not the situation where you can excel. Your opportunities come from successfully building working relationships with the people you don’t know, such as suppliers, clients, potential customers, vendors and contractors.

We don’t understand the value. I’ll have to admit it, but it took me quite a few years to assess the real value in networking. I’m not talking about the conversations around the water cooler. I’m talking about stepping into a room where I didn’t know a single soul in the room. However, when I left, I had business cards from numerous people, whom I followed up with and are still in contact with today.

It wasn’t so easy at first. I would enter the auditorium but would keep to myself. I didn’t interact much, except for this one time when I was at an event I actually knew someone else who was in the audience. He was an old colleague and a big networker. I figured he would have fun with me since he knew I was out of my element. However, he showed me around and introduced me to several people. It put me at ease. From then on, I realized that people were in the room. You know, people just like me and you. They think the same things, feel the same things and even seek the same things.

Each new contact leads me down a new road, for which most of them lead to another new contact. This is expanding your network. It’s a simple concept. You walk up to someone you don’t know and introduce yourself. You ask a few questions about them to learn who they are, what interests them and what things you share in common. If you find a lot of commonalities with your new contacts make sure to follow-up with them later to share your schedule and list of activities (in case they are interested in one of them). If you need help, you ask them for it and you encourage them to do the same. The relationship is mutually beneficial.

Sounds simple right? Well, it is. It doesn’t take much more than what I just defined in the previous chapter. Most often the obstacles to networking that get in the way and keep you from connecting with others are inside your head. You are your biggest obstacle. How do you overcome it? Keep putting yourself outside of your comfort zone. Eventually, it isn’t uncomfortable. At this point, it’s a whole new world. Your eyes will be opened and you’ll wonder why we fear what we don’t know.

New roads will lead you to new adventures. This is what we talk about when we say we are looking for new opportunities. Notice though that the opportunities don’t just come directly to you. You actually have to meet people to find these new paths. Then, you must walk the path and be able to recognize the opportunity. Lastly, you must act on it. It’s not hard work. Spending four or more years solving a lot of textbook problems was hard work.

Author:

Todd Rhoad, MSEE, MBA is the Director at BT Consulting, a career consulting firm in Altanta, and author of the book, Blitz The Ladder. Stay tuned for his upcoming book, The MBA Owners Manual, coming out this year. Todd can be reached at todd.rhoad@blitzteamconsulting.com.

via careerrocketeer.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Rebuilding Your Network | EmploymentDigest.net

As the economy warms up, more of your contacts are on the move — and going places that could be right for you. How do you tighten a network that’s gone slack?

People have a bad habit of letting their networks go stale when they land new positions. They’ll certainly stay in touch during the job search; after all, networking is a great way of finding new opportunities. But once they’re back on the job, they drop the active networking that helped them land it in the first place.

LinkedIn, Facebook and other business networks offer some ongoing connection, but they don’t provide personal touch and top-of-mind awareness of an active “career tribe.” That’s why I coach all clients in transition not only to build an effective tribe but to manage it actively — because you never know when the next shoe will drop or the next opportunity will arise.

In the current recession, your network may have gone cold on its own. With more of your colleagues unemployed and fewer able to help their networks advance, many people stopped trying to network and lost touch. As the economy rebounds, job seekers will have to rekindle those relationships, too.

Job seekers often tell me they feel awkward reconnecting with former colleagues, coworkers and mentors they haven’t contacted since their last job hunt. Of course, I can slap them on the hands and say, “Naughty, naughty. You didn’t keep yourself connected the way you should have!” … but that doesn’t solve their dilemma. Therefore, let’s snuff out guilt — which, if kept alive, will ruin any efforts to reconnect anyway.

Here are a few effective ways to re-ignite a group of friends and business relationships.

Admit you lost touch: It’s weirder not to acknowledge the rhinoceros head in the room than to acknowledge it — so don’t gloss over the fact that you haven’t reached out in ages. Chances are, the person on the other end of the line is just like you; most people don’t keep their career tribes active and vibrant. Therefore, begin by stating the obvious … but in an Everyman kind of way:

“Gosh, it’s been ages. I don’t know if you’re like me, but I get so busy with all that’s going on with work and family that staying in touch with people that matter to me takes a back burner. It’s not right, and I intend to correct that moving forward because, as we both know, relationships are everything.”

Don’t make it all about YOU: Yes, you are connecting with your contact now because you’re looking for clients or a job. However, the worst thing you can do is immediately jump into what you want or need from him. Instead, you need to rebuild the relationship by demonstrating interest in him.

“So, is now a good time to talk, or could we grab a coffee? How are you? What’s been going on in your world? How are the kids/husband/pets/projects?” Draw on your knowledge of your contact to get him talking about himself and what he’s up to. Getting your contact to tell you stories about his life, career and exploits builds “relationship equity.”

Have a research project: At some point, the point of your call will come up naturally. I would offer it up before you’re asked. But my No. One rule in career transition is, “The best way to get a job is not to look for one!”

Sounds ironic, but you’ll always get further meeting more people faster when you connect based on reasons other than your need for a job. So create something worthwhile that your contact on which your contact could advise you other than your resume or job search. Are there new developments at the cutting edge of your industry about which she may have thoughts? Which players in your field do you want information about? Your inquiry doesn’t need to be formal; nevertheless, it does need to feel like you’re researching a topic, not prospecting for jobs.

I recently helped a social-network newbie set up her first profile up on LinkedIn, which created a built-in opportunity to network in the name of research. The woman used her status as a LinkedIn newbie to reconnect with her contacts and ask them how they used the service. Once in touch and talking, she parlayed the connection into some greater research projects in her industry. For her, networking was the research project.

Wait to be asked: People aren’t stupid. You need never flat out say to them, “I’m looking for a job.” If you have a solid reason to call for their opinions and advice, you’re building relationship equity. After all, everyone wants to feel like the “expert,” and people love to give advice. If you’ve handled the first three steps gracefully, the person on the other end will probably ask, “So, are you in the market?” That’s what you want: them asking you. This gives you the opening you need to reply, “Oh, well, yes, one reason I have the space to reconnect with helpful folks like you is because I was recently downsized. … But I want to make a smart move this time, which is why I’m focused on researching these issues. Of course, if you know others you think I should speak to, I’d be grateful if you can direct me to them.” This more subtle approach will generally net you a more open and willing connection than if you tried to say hello after five years and immediately asked for job-search help. Re-establishing relationships based on warmth and mutual interest is far more comfortable and effective than requesting job leads. The power of relationships can truly amaze you if you use them wisely. And their benefit is never one sided. The advice, input and connections your contacts offer you today will always benefit them eventually. The universe reciprocates … but you gotta get out there and make your contributions. Taking the first step to reconnect is a big contribution.

 DARRELL W. GURNEY, executive/career coach and 15-year recruiting veteran, supports folks to make profitable transitions or create thriving businesses. Author of “ Headhunters Revealed!” and a personal- and business- brand strategist, his Backdoor Method for networking has helped individuals expand careers and new client circles. Listen to his interview of best-selling “What Color is Your Parachute?” author Richard Nelson Bolles at www.CareerGuy.com/program

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Rebuilding Your Network

As the economy warms up, more of your contacts are on the move — and going places that could be right for you. How do you tighten a network that’s gone slack?

People have a bad habit of letting their networks go stale when they land new positions. They’ll certainly stay in touch during the job search; after all, networking is a great way of finding new opportunities. But once they’re back on the job, they drop the active networking that helped them land it in the first place.

LinkedIn, Facebook and other business networks offer some ongoing connection, but they don’t provide personal touch and top-of-mind awareness of an active “career tribe.” That’s why I coach all clients in transition not only to build an effective tribe but to manage it actively — because you never know when the next shoe will drop or the next opportunity will arise.

In the current recession, your network may have gone cold on its own. With more of your colleagues unemployed and fewer able to help their networks advance, many people stopped trying to network and lost touch. As the economy rebounds, job seekers will have to rekindle those relationships, too.

Job seekers often tell me they feel awkward reconnecting with former colleagues, coworkers and mentors they haven’t contacted since their last job hunt. Of course, I can slap them on the hands and say, “Naughty, naughty. You didn’t keep yourself connected the way you should have!” … but that doesn’t solve their dilemma. Therefore, let’s snuff out guilt — which, if kept alive, will ruin any efforts to reconnect anyway.

Here are a few effective ways to re-ignite a group of friends and business relationships.

Admit you lost touch: It’s weirder not to acknowledge the rhinoceros head in the room than to acknowledge it — so don’t gloss over the fact that you haven’t reached out in ages. Chances are, the person on the other end of the line is just like you; most people don’t keep their career tribes active and vibrant. Therefore, begin by stating the obvious … but in an Everyman kind of way:

“Gosh, it’s been ages. I don’t know if you’re like me, but I get so busy with all that’s going on with work and family that staying in touch with people that matter to me takes a back burner. It’s not right, and I intend to correct that moving forward because, as we both know, relationships are everything.”

Don’t make it all about YOU: Yes, you are connecting with your contact now because you’re looking for clients or a job. However, the worst thing you can do is immediately jump into what you want or need from him. Instead, you need to rebuild the relationship by demonstrating interest in him.

“So, is now a good time to talk, or could we grab a coffee? How are you? What’s been going on in your world? How are the kids/husband/pets/projects?” Draw on your knowledge of your contact to get him talking about himself and what he’s up to. Getting your contact to tell you stories about his life, career and exploits builds “relationship equity.”

Have a research project: At some point, the point of your call will come up naturally. I would offer it up before you’re asked. But my No. One rule in career transition is, “The best way to get a job is not to look for one!”

Sounds ironic, but you’ll always get further meeting more people faster when you connect based on reasons other than your need for a job. So create something worthwhile that your contact on which your contact could advise you other than your resume or job search. Are there new developments at the cutting edge of your industry about which she may have thoughts? Which players in your field do you want information about? Your inquiry doesn’t need to be formal; nevertheless, it does need to feel like you’re researching a topic, not prospecting for jobs.

I recently helped a social-network newbie set up her first profile up on LinkedIn, which created a built-in opportunity to network in the name of research. The woman used her status as a LinkedIn newbie to reconnect with her contacts and ask them how they used the service. Once in touch and talking, she parlayed the connection into some greater research projects in her industry. For her, networking was the research project.

Wait to be asked: People aren’t stupid. You need never flat out say to them, “I’m looking for a job.” If you have a solid reason to call for their opinions and advice, you’re building relationship equity. After all, everyone wants to feel like the “expert,” and people love to give advice. If you’ve handled the first three steps gracefully, the person on the other end will probably ask, “So, are you in the market?” That’s what you want: them asking you. This gives you the opening you need to reply, “Oh, well, yes, one reason I have the space to reconnect with helpful folks like you is because I was recently downsized. … But I want to make a smart move this time, which is why I’m focused on researching these issues. Of course, if you know others you think I should speak to, I’d be grateful if you can direct me to them.” This more subtle approach will generally net you a more open and willing connection than if you tried to say hello after five years and immediately asked for job-search help. Re-establishing relationships based on warmth and mutual interest is far more comfortable and effective than requesting job leads. The power of relationships can truly amaze you if you use them wisely. And their benefit is never one sided. The advice, input and connections your contacts offer you today will always benefit them eventually. The universe reciprocates … but you gotta get out there and make your contributions. Taking the first step to reconnect is a big contribution.

DARRELL W. GURNEY, executive/career coach and 15-year recruiting veteran, supports folks to make profitable transitions or create thriving businesses. Author of “Headhunters Revealed!” and a personal- and business- brand strategist, his Backdoor Method for networking has helped individuals expand careers and new client circles. Listen to his interview of best-selling “What Color is Your Parachute?” author Richard Nelson Bolles at www.CareerGuy.com/program

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Posted via web from AndyWergedal

reCareered: Is Your Opportunity Pipeline Big Enough?

reCareered: Is Your Opportunity Pipeline Big Enough? [recareered.blogspot.com]

Posted via web from AndyWergedal