Build Your Network Now!

The following is an excerpt from How Smart People Sabotage Their Job Search: 10 Mistakes Executives Make and How to Fix Them!

Mistake #6: We Don’t Build a Network When We are Working.

“No one—not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses—ever make it alone.” Malcolm Gladwell

This will speak to MANY of you: Did you interact with outside vendors while filling the role in the corner office? Did you delegate the management of corporate relationships, vendors and customer relationships to your direct reports? Considering that vendors, professional service providers, and former customers can be our greatest source of job leads when we are looking, this is a huge mistake. Does this statement trigger an “Oops” for you?

None of us works in a vacuum. If you don’t personally know members of the outside counsel that your firm uses, the presidents of your biggest customers, bankers that your CFO is interacting with, and other important outside resources, you are missing out. These people are connected! Their success depends on their connectivity in the business community at large. If they don’t have a personal relationship with you, let alone actual experience working with you, you won’t get the fullest benefit of their potential resources when you might need them the most.

Oops! How to Fix Mistake #6:

Get out and circulate in the business community at large. Don’t isolate yourself within the walls of your corner office. Make a point of attending some local events for different causes and networking with your peers. Networking is a year-round goal that needs to be achieved by all corporate executives. Select some leadership conferences, luncheons, breakfasts, and trade shows and commit to attending them to shake hands, swap information, and hear industry buzz firsthand.

Seek out the “movers and shakers” within your community and introduce yourself, even if it’s over the telephone. Make a point to be in touch throughout the year.

Now, if you are active within your religious community or favorite charity, this gives you another distinct group of potential contacts to help you build and maintain a network. These organizations give you personal satisfaction, the ability to enjoy your family and friends while engaging in camaraderie, and the opportunities to “give back.”

Mistake #6 Self-Assessment and Improvement Plan

Jump into your community, your vendor relationships, and your industry events. Get involved in charitable events. Enormous value in personal and professional growth awaits you!

1. You know what to do here. Write down the people you need to meet and get to know.

2. Choose some community groups or causes that interest you, and write down upcoming activity dates and times.

3. Chart out an event calendar and “ink” it into your calendar. Which events or activities would you like to include?

You won’t be sorry for the time and effort!

Comments

[Van Beek @ Stock Trend Investing]

Yes, this is an easy trap to fall into. Take it also one step further. When you have a busy job in a larger company, it is so easy to just build a network within the company and with some direct customers or suppliers. However, when you want or have to switch jobs, that "old" network won't help too much. The solution is to look for ways to build also a network beyond your own work environment. Use a hobby, join a business community club or start blogging.

[Lynn]

I set aside 30 minutes each Monday to reconnect with my network. I choose at least one person each week and I e-mail or Facebook them. I also try to arrange an in-person meeting for lunch or coffee.

I also make an effort to network within my company schedule coffee meeting with people in other departments as well as outside. Its a lot of work to consistently be active in maintaining and developing your networks. But I find that if you really get to know people and its not strictly a business only meeting its much more enjoyable to reconnect - it feels a lot less like work.