Networking Tips and Advice

Networking is a great tool on building friends and connections within your industry. It is not hard to network but it does require time.

• Create a professional email that will be used exclusively for correspondence. If you have a URL, most packagers also offer the ability to set up emails under your URL. If not, you may create one with Google. Make sure it is professional and does not resemble spam emails. Create a professional signature in your email. Along with your name, include one link to a professional page about you such as your blog or LinkedIn profile.

• You should have business cards to hand out  at events, meetings or when you are just out. I recommend Vista Print as I have used them many times and the cards are high quality and look professional.

• Attend events! Attend events! Attend events! My interest is with the environment so I look for any and all environmental related events. Speak to people at these events and get contact names. Those names do you no good if you do not follow up with them later. Do not wait too long to follow up. You need to follow up while they still remember you - send them your blog or LinkedIn link when you contact them.

• A few ways to find events are signing up for newsletters on field related websites and by doing Google searches. Many events will also have information on other upcoming events. You will also learn about events as you talk to other people.

• Conduct informational interviews. Contact people in your field asking for informational interviews. I actually contact them by email so that I have a record. If you do not know who to contact, call and ask. If you email them, include links to your blog or LinkedIn profile so they can read about you before the interview. Dress professionally at the interview as you would for a job interview. Remember, this is an informational interview so do not ask for a job. Before you leave, ask them if they can provide you with another person you may talk to. Always leave with another lead. Very Important!

• Volunteer with companies or causes within your field of interest. Be active and get noticed. Do not go out with an ego but do make your self stand out. Check out websites of related companies as some may offer volunteer opportunities. If in question, contact the company.

• Join social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook. LinkedIn is a professional network where you can connect with others related to your field. Design your profile to look professional which means photos and posts. Start posting things that are related to your field. Make your posts look like you know what you are talking about. This is your chance to show your knowledge. This is not Facebook so do not post irrelevant material. Respond to post placed by your connections. Again, show your knowledge. I am talking about an actual response, not just hitting the "like" button. You do not need to respond to every post because you do not want to come off as a know it all. Connect with those in your field, especially those with titles such as supervisor, director, manager and so forth.

• Google search companies that are related to your field, locate them on LinkedIn and follow them. Also, connect with employees at the company on LinkedIn. You can also do a company search on LinkedIn and it will show you people who work at that company. Connect with them. 

• LinkedIn will eventually recommend contacts based on your current connections. Start connecting with these people. Look at where they work and start making a list of these companies. This will help you build a list of potential companies for your job search.

• Join pages and groups on Facebook related to your field. Follow the same process for posting as you would on LinkedIn. Stay professional.

• Create a blog (like this one) to show off your knowledge. Blogger is free and has many tools to design what you want. Again, keep it professional and easy to read and find information. Make sure to provide easy to find contact information. Add a page about you and a page where visitors can find your work such as a portfolio page.

• Depending on your field, you can create videos and put them on You Tube. You can place these videos on your blog. Keep videos on a specific topic and use them to show your knowledge. Do not just talk about what you know on videos. This is your platform to show what you know. You can dress down in your videos and wear clothes related to field. Make sure to provide contact information on your videos or in description box below videos. This can be a link to your blog or LinkedIn page where you have your email. The video serves no purpose if you do not offer viewers any means to contact you. Share your videos!

If you follow these steps you will quickly build a strong network. The first step starts with you.