How to – Network More Effectively Networking is not a frenzied process that results in a pile of business cards. It's about using shared interests to develop and maintain mutually beneficial relationships. It’s about creating relationships that are mutually beneficial, being resources for each other.

Done right, networking is a lifelong, evolutionary process that you can do daily. Like dieting, you may not see the benefits right away, but it’s building. When you talk with others and seek their opinions to make an informed decision, even if it's just to find a good restaurant, book, or mechanic -- you're networking.

More and more professional, social and civic organization are having events not just to educate, inform or involve their members but to allow them specific time to create and enlarge their network. If you want to make the most of these opportunities, there are some specific steps to take.

Prepare before the event - What do you want to happen at this event? Knowing what you want to accomplish helps you prepare and provides meaning for being there. Go to events knowing what you want to happen, whether it's to rub elbows, learn scuttlebutt or plea for be seen. See if you can find out beforehand who'll be there.

One caveat: don’t go to ask for or get work. You are developing relationships, not closing a deal.

Make an entrance - Rarely do senior level professionals hang around waiting for others to arrive. Take a hint from their behavior and arrive later if there's no reason to be early. How late depends on the event and who might arrive early, which is worth considering before making your plans. Your body language announces your feelings so be aware of it as you enter the room. You may have to act more upbeat and confident than you feel, but sometimes if you act that way, you begin to feel that way.

Get connected - People at networking events often gather in cliques. This can strand new arrivals, who may end up standing alone, worrying that everyone is looking at them. Grab something to drink, walk around and look for an opening in a group. Be careful to observe boundaries, and don't crowd into a group uninvited. Drink and eat moderately. "Work the room" by touching as many bases as you can.

Let opportunities present themselves and connect and respond to all who open up to you or make welcoming eye contact. Don’t lead with your business card in hand. There are ways to make your presence felt in creative and kind ways. A sense of humor, smile, pat on the back, encouraging words, recognition and praise are all excellent motivational gestures, more so if done in front of others.

Meet the power - Be ready to take the initiative when you encounter top executives.

Figure out what your message is in advance. By knowing what you want to say, you'll come across as smart, focused, articulate and insightful. Most people are reluctant to show their ambitions. But meeting those in power can boost your career, so you want to make an impression in the room, if only by smiling from a distance. Show that you're competent, motivated and fit in. Look composed and dress professionally. If in doubt, dress up, not down.

Cultivate friendships, but avoid romance - Friendships happen naturally and organically as part of working together. If we had a choice, we’d select a good friend as a boss, since they are the person who has the most impact over your job assignments, raises and career development. Networking events are not parties, bars or matchmaking opportunities.

Don't overstay your welcome - Know when you want to leave and tell the host. When the time comes, feel confident that your departure is expected. Stay only as long as you're relatively comfortable. Be clear in your goodbyes, and know that leaving is fine. Smile, wave or shake hands with your host, main friends and key contacts. If you’ve accomplished what you set out to achieve, the function was a success.

Use what you've learned - If it seems appropriate, phone or send a thank-you note after an event. Forced gestures are usually ineffective. The joy of socializing is the people you meet. It can be fun to meet new people. You may form true bonds, gain mentors and help protégés, all of which makes networking worthwhile. People want to help those they like and respect. They can't start liking you however, if you don't give them a chance to get to know you. That is where socializing over time comes in (also known as building the relationship!).

At a time when teamwork, communication, resourcefulness and human understanding are highly prized, having contacts means power and promotability and networking well will help you make these key contacts.

Labels: Networking, self promotion

  10:30 AM •  0 Comments •

How to - Maintain Solid Footing When Change Occurs There are some significant trends that create an impact in every workplace. It’s important to recognize and understand the trends in order to use them to your advantage or to avoid letting them derail your career plans.

• Technology – Every media outlet advertises the encroaching tentacles of the Internet and technology. It certainly seems to be evolving into a dot-com world. Many people are logged on to the Internet, tracking data on their Palm Pilots, speaking into mobile phones, plugging into Ipods, and using new acronyms that sound like alphabet soup.

• Changing Business Landscape – Mergers, acquisitions and start-ups create new companies, morph old companies, and some companies disappear from sight completely, never to be heard from again. Companies tank, rise like a phoenix from the ashes and reinvent themselves on a daily basis, in an effort to stay viable and competitive.

• Career Development – Not so long ago, career development was fostered by the place where you worked. Today you are on your own when it comes to learning and development. The ability to promote yourself as a solution to a company’s problem is more critical today than how you will grow and develop with them. The message seems to be –“produce on our time, learn on your own.”

What You Need

As these trends shake things up, there are a few key skills that will help you keep your footing and thrive in the changing workplace:

Lifelong Learning – The ability to obtain and understand new skills is one of the most useful abilities you can have. A demonstration of your willingness to keep up with the evolving world can be in the form of taking a class, keeping current on recent publications, and attending professional meetings and seminars.

Navigate Your Own Career – Make sure you are able to communicate what you have done, can do, won’t do, and want to do. Your ability to handle autonomy can be seen as initiative. The old paradigm of being shepherded through your career is gone. It’s replaced by the new reality that says “no one cares about your career as much as you do,” so tend to your own development and growth.

Promote Yourself – Your work does not speak for itself. Success is often a combination of what you know, whom you know, who knows you, and who knows about you. Get the word out.

Flexibility –Your ability to change and to make transitions efficiently is a very attractive commodity. Being able to maintain your motivation and prevent paranoia, as things evolve, creates an appealing energy that employers look for.

Labels: Career development, self promotion

  4:04 PM •  0 Comments •