I Swear… This is the Last Post for Awhile on Networking

I went to an event on campus- again, about networking. Although sort of obligated to go after the speaker said I had a great personal branding name during our brief twitter convo (hi Jason!), I’m glad I did. Here, I was able to practice actual networking skills.

First, about the speaker: Jason Alba, author of I’m on Linked In… Now what??? and other such helpful resources spoke to the group about Career Management VS Job Searching. Career Management is the active investment of time in yourself for your future career, where a job search is just the immediate present. It is vital to focus ultimately on Career Management so that you have connections to cultivate so you have opportunities in the future.

One of my favorite tips he had, was that when talking to people about your job search, you should always mention a few companies you’d like to work for. Although your contact may not know anyone at these particular firms, they may know someone in a firm similar to one of those you list. This gives your network a concrete direction to keep their eyes out for you. For example, when speaking with my Professor last week, I explicitly said I was interested in finding a contact doing Interactive Marketing. Although I’ve had him as a sales professor, and I know he could find me contacts in that line of work, I’m having more difficulty finding contacts in marketing, so I gave him that direction.

Jason also spoke about Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi- again, a MUST read. Please, go buy it.

The best part of the night was that because I had an interaction with Jason on twitter beforehand, he knew my name, had read my blog, and alerted the group that I knew about blogging and they could ask me about it when the question arose. Where at most networking events, I’m similar to every other student: smart, likeable, looking for a job- today I had something to offer- I knew how to blog. I was truly able to do what a network is supposed to do- and go to events to offer something I can do for others, as a way to meet more people. Although intimidating, it pays to go to networking events where you’ll stand out!