Don't Waste Your Life

If you have diverse skills and an eclectic mix of interests, you may find it difficult to “choose” a career.  You may be hesitant to take that leap and commit to a certain type of position as you continue your job search.  

Bruce Kasanoff offers some great advice about testing your career goals here.

Meet Up!

Meet Up is a website that helps connect like-minded or like-interested people.  You can register for free for a Meet Up account, set up your preferences and peruse events in your area.  There are groups for professionals, networking, religious fellowship, fitness and so on and so on.  

Whatever your interest, there probably is a Meet Up group for you. And if there isn’t, you can easily start your own.  

The Brunswick Le Tip chapter I am a part of uses Meet Up every week to plan breakfast meetings, invite prospective members and rsvp guests.  It has been a great tool for networking.

Try making Meet Up a part of your networking plan!

Alumni, Alumnae, Alumna, Alumnus?

As summer comes to a close and those lucky college kids head back to campus, make sure you have updated your alma mater with your latest contact information.  Be certain that you have subscribed to their mailing lists so you don’t miss out on any networking opportunities geared specifically toward their alumni.  

For the record, the correct references are:

Alumna: female, singular  

Alumnus: male, singular

Alumnae: female, plural

Alumni: male, plural

Give your Alumni Association a call today!

Changing Course v. Off-Roading

In 2011, I left my first full-time attorney position after 9 months.  It was a very difficult decision that left me with a mixed feelings of relief, stress, fear, and uncertainty.  I knew I wasn’t cut out to be a divorce attorney.  It was time for me to change course.  The 9 months that followed gave me a chance to not just change course, but go off-roading as far as my career was concerned.

-I wrote The Graduate’s Guide to Networking

-I did a webinar for Lawline

-I managed and created education programs for attorneys

-I spoke at colleges, universities and law schools

-I taught 3rd graders

Nine months later, I found myself back practicing in an area of law I am truly passionate about, estate planning and elder law.  I have been with the firm for almost 2 years now and I couldn’t be happier.  Because I took the leap and changed course, I find myself infinitely more fulfilled and content.  

If you had nothing standing in your way, how would you change course?

Jobs4Grads Webinar: How to Network with Confidence and Success!

Join me this afternoon for a *FREE* webinar on How to Network With Confidence and Success!

Register Here!

Networking in Your Neighborhood

Perhaps you moved back home after graduation and you are living in your hometown.

Maybe you moved to new city and you are still getting settled.

Whatever your location, there are a wealth of opportunities in your neighborhood to expand your network.

-Volunteering with a local organization

-Sit on a fundraising committee

-Attending civic functions such as town council meetings or meet the mayor events

-Joining a local religious organization such a church or temple

-Attend networking happy hours at local bars or restaurants

Do your research and you will find you have a full social AND networking calendar!

KIT

It must be scrawled on every elementary school yearbook-KIT (Keep in Touch, for those of us who have forgotten).  Keeping in Touch is the single most important part of networking.  If you attend an event and meet 100 people and you don’t keep in touch with any of them, the event was probably a waste of your time.

Keeping in Touch is as simple as taking the time to write an email to someone that you’ve met.

It’s not too late to keep in touch, review your recent contacts and pick one person, just one person to follow up with this week.  

Keeping in touch is the very step in creating a lasting relationship.

Following Up Without Fear

Following up after an interview can be nerve wracking.  

You want to appear interested, but not desperate.

You want to be confident, but not cocky.

You want to be eager, but not obnoxious.

How do you strike a balance when following up?

Forbes offers four ways to follow up after an interview without being annoying here.

Smile!

As a student, you may have agonized over what should be your new profile picture.  That sweet mixer on Friday night?  You and your newest boyfriend or girlfriend? Or maybe a picture of you and your best friend chugging a drink or two.

Is that the first impression you would want to give a potential employer?  

Do yourself a favor, print your favorite pics and upload a professional profile photo.

Are you guilty of a profile photo faux pas? Check out this article to find out if your profile is a professional fail.

Refresh Your LinkedIn

If you’ve recently graduated and are actively looking for a job this summer, be certain that your LinkedIn is updated!

LinkedIn is my favorite professional networking website.  Apparently, recruiters love it too.

If you are looking for a new job, make sure your LinkedIn profile is complete, updated and free from typos.  Read articles in your field of interest and post interesting articles to share with your network. Connect with people you have worked for and worked with. Connect with your friends, your parent's friends, and your friend's parents. Reach out to everyone you know.  

The more you grow your network, the more you increase your chances of connecting with someone who can help you find a position.  

Read more here about how 93% of recruiters are using LinkedIn to fill open positions.

Jobs 4 Grads.  Isn’t that what we all want?

Jobs4Grads is a membership website that is geared toward helping students and recent graduates age 22-24 succeed and find their dream job.  It is a membership based website that provides tools and coaching in the framework of a proven system to get you the job you want.  Check out their website here and see if membership might be worth a try for you!

I will be presenting a webinar with Jobs4Grads on August 14th.  Register for FREE here:    

Congratulations to the Class of 2013!

Congratulations Class of 2013! I hope you are enjoying your summer and celebrating all that you have accomplished!

While college has come to an end, this is a time of new beginning for you.   Whether you have started your first career or still looking for that first position, with the right tools and the right attitude, you can commit yourself to being successful.  

Subscribe today for tips regarding networking, job search techniques and much more!

Welcome Back Making Networking Work!

After nearly a yearlong hiatus, two moves, two career changes and a wedding, I have decided it is time to overhaul and revitalize the Graduate’s Guide to Networking.  I hope to make this blog more user friendly for the casual reader and the active subscriber.  I am committing to posting bi-weekly, sharing interesting articles and reviewing job search products and services.  

For me, committing and making a plan and setting goals is essential to achieving my objectives.    

What do you hope to achieve?

How about a plan for your career?  

Follow me as we explore careers, network, and search for a job.

Why Do I Need a Mission Statement?

In hindsight, what I found to be most challenging when networking as a student was my lack of direction.

I didn’t have an idea of who I was or what I wanted out of networking.

It wasn’t until after I began my career as an attorney did I begin to develop my personal mission statement.

A personal mission statement is a summary of your values and goals.  It could be a few sentences or a few paragraphs.  It can be a list of words or a highly detailed summation.  Your mission statement has to work for you.  It may be in a constant state of revision, but once you have an idea of your mission, you will find that networking becomes a bit more easier.  You are no longer just looking for a job, but pursuing a career that coincides with your long-term goals and values.  

Developing a mission statement is no easy task.  Here are just a few sites that I have used to develop my own mission statement:

Think Simple Now 
http://thinksimplenow.com/happiness/life-on-purpose-15-questions-to-discover-your-personal-mission/

Quintessential Careers
http://www.quintcareers.com/creating_personal_mission_statements.html

Leadership Development Institute
http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Leadership/mission.htm

Leverage Your Summer Internship

By this time, you may be finishing up the last week or so of your summer internship.  You may be looking forward to packing and returning to school in just a few short weeks.

Make sure that before you pack up your desk at your summer internship you have  taken steps to leverage your summer internship to your advantage:

1) Ask your boss or supervisor about extending your internship into the fall, this is a great way to communicate your commitment and interest to the company;

2) Update your resume with your most recent job responsibilities;

3) Ask your supervisor for a written recommendation;

4) Make sure you have contact information for everyone that you worked with and worked for; and

5) Plan to follow up with your supervisor or boss every few months, this contact maintenance will come in handy as you search for a full-time position.

Mentor Magic

Finding a Mentor can work magic for your career.

Magic in the sense that if you dedicate time and work hard, you will reap success.

We’ve talked about finding a mentor here and here.

Heather Huhman of USNews, points out some great ways you can benefit from a mentor relationship here.  

While Huhman’s article is strong evidence of the value of having a mentor, be certain that you pay it forward.  

You have skills, experience and advice that you can offer by becoming a mentor.  You might be able to help a high school student searching for a college.  You might mentor an underclassman trying to figure out a major.  

Who can you offer your mentor magic too?

Not A People Person?

“I’m a people person!”  He proclaims brightly, with an eager smile.

We all know that person.  The life of the party.  The chatty conversationalist.  For someone like him or her, networking isn’t something to be feared, it’s just another conversation.

They might even look forward to attending a networking event.

But what about the rest of us?

What about the introverts among us, who still need to network for career success?

Ruth Carter offers her advice here in the Introvert’s Survival Guide.  


Are you an introvert? What do you find works for you?

Networking as an Employee?

Congratulations!  You’ve found a job!

It was hard work to search for a job, network, complete applications, send out resumes and get through the interview process.  

You have to learn how to do your job and do it well.  You have to adapt to the culture of your company.  This may be your first “real” job and you have to adjust to working full-time.  

Who has time to network?

You must.

Networking will set you apart from your peers.  It will give you the edge in a down market.  It will give you options in a recession.

Networking is the key not only to finding a job, but finding success and fulfillment in your career.  

If you are no longer looking for a job, where will you network?

Look to the people you admire in your field, inside and outside of your company.  To which professional organizations do they belong?

Ask your manager or mentor to help you formulate a networking plan.  This is especially important if you are in an industry that expects you to regularly bring in clients.

Sample a few organizations before you commit your time.

When you commit your time, truly commit yourself.  Join committees.  Hold a leadership position.  Don’t just join an organization, serve an organization.  It is a great way to get to know your fellow members and begin to establish your professional reputation.

As a professional, where do you find your networking time is best spent?

Will Network for Work

If you are currently searching for a job in a particular industry, you may find that your options for networking events are overwhelming.  

There are local, county and state professional associations.  There are networking groups within religious organizations.  There are civil groups such as your local or county chamber of commerce.  There are regional alumni groups.  There are meetups and start ups.  There are breakfast meetings, lunch meetings, and happy hours.  

You have a limited budget of both time and money.  You must decide where you will spend your time networking.  

But, where do you begin?

Start by looking to the leaders in your field.  To which organizations do they belong?  What committees do they join?

Reach out to people who are doing what you would like to do.  Ask their advice.

Attend multiple meetings and talk to people.  Ask them what they like about the organization and what they take away from it.

Slowly narrow down your organizations to a manageable group of organizations to which you can truly commit your time.

What organizations do you find most valuable to your job search?

When Do You Network?

If you’ve read my book or followed by blog, you know that my favorite answer is every day!  

Whether you have a full-time job, or are searching for the same, you may have noticed that there are many networking breakfast meetings.  

If the thought of waking up an extra hour early to network makes you hide your head under the covers, you may want to think again.

Breakfast meetings are popular because they start before the regular workday.  Before the office is open, before clients or customers start calling, you can attend an event once a week or once a month to boost your career.

But, you may be thinking, that’s SO early.

True.  

But, according to this interesting article by Inc.Com, successful people are more likely to be up earlier.  Whether they are getting into the office before the phones are ringing, finishing up a writing project or networking, there is evidence that suggests getting up earlier is the secret to success.  

What do you think? Will you be getting up earlier and giving this a try?