Networking Insight

Leverage Your Network to Make Things Happen

Success doesn't happen overnight. In fact, it may take years for you to have business success. That is why it is important for you to continuously build business relationships.

With the right relationships, you can generate success sooner than later. Once you have established credibility and trust with certain people in your network, you can reach out to them for help.

Your network can be a great source of client referrals, capital, partners, mentors, etc. Take advantage of their collective experience and network. You will be surprised at how much people want to help.

However, make sure that you are providing value to your network long before you ask for help. Spend time nurturing your relationships by helping when you can and making appropriate connections to assist them accelerate their businesses and careers.

You will be amazed at what can happen when you leverage your network. The people you know are one of your most valuable assets. Take advantage of it but only in a reasonable and credible way.

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Getting to Know Others is a Fun Experience

Meeting new people is an interesting experience because you never know what you will learn. It is fascinating to hear others' stories and how it has shaped their lives.

By interacting with others, you will not only learn about them but also about life in general. It is amazing about the stored knowledge that each person holds.

Take each encounter as an opportunity to expand your knowledge base. At the same time, you will learn about ways to help one another.

It is important that you stay in touch with you network. When you meet new people, think of ways to connect them to others in your network. It is rewarding to connect people together who could really benefit from knowing one another.

Most importantly, have fun meeting new people and expanding your network. You never know what opportunities could present themselves.

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Expand Your Network by Dr. Tracey Wilen-Daugenti

Many of us apply to job postings hoping we’ll be discovered. However, it’s not that easy and our time is too precious to waste, so taking effective steps is key. Expanding your social and personal networks are good places to start.  Recruiters suggest that more than 80% of jobs are still found through networking.  Here are 3 ways to expand your networking opportunities:

Social Media Networking

Apps and Sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ Circles, and Yahoo Groups provide online access to professionals, hiring managers and recruiters. Make sure your online profile, email discussions and photos are professional and position you in a positive way.

• LinkedIn is a networking tool that has grown exponentially.  The site once primarily used by recruiters is now an enhanced networking and job hunting platform. Users can join groups, email contacts and network with other professionals, hiring managers and recruiters.  Update your profile regularly to display your skills, get public endorsements, and list your experiences.

• Facebook is an excellent networking tool to reach friends and family, but also a great way to connect with businesses and potential employers.  Friends of friends may have job and hiring contacts of which you were not aware. By updating your status, you can come onto someone's radar who was previously was unaware of your situation.

• Google+ Circles is especially great if you already have a Gmail account.  It’s easy to add all of your contacts to your circle so that they can view your profile and other information you want to make public.  Also, it’s easy to search for and add different users to different circles – personal, professional, school, etc.

• Yahoo groups are an excellent place to find recruiting groups where the members are all recruiters and HR professionals. There are national groups as well as regional groups.

Industry Association Networking

Associations are excellent resources for meeting people and also learning new things about your industry. Join a network that aligns with your functional interest, for example, marketing, sales, or high technology. The goal of joining an association should be to meet people who are working in the firms that are most likely to hire you.

Prepare for an association meeting just as you would a job interview.

• Elevator pitch - Prepare a 10-second answer to the question "What do you do?" That lets the person know in concise terms who you are, what you do and what you are looking for. Don't prolong your discussion about not having a job. Rather discuss what you have accomplished for firms you have worked for and what skills you can offer.

• Business cards - Prepare business cards even if you don't have a job. Typical protocol at any business meeting or group is the business card exchange. Prepare a business card that has your contact information and add in key skills or expertise that will help position you. Make sure you have a personal website and add that website address to your business card.

• Resumes - Bring a stash of resumes with you. If you meet a hiring manager or a key recruiter you have your credentials right in hand. Resumes should not be handed out like business cards but rather pulled out in a discussion if there is a job opening and the person is interested. Many times associations have booths with firms and employers on site. These are good places to find out about the firm, its culture, who is hiring, and also key contacts for follow-up.

Local networking

Networking within your local community is a key way to find the local hiring managers and job openings in an informal setting. Here are some places to network.

• If you have children you may be actively engaged in a lot of school and after school activities. School activities, sport team meets, PTA and parties are all great opportunities.

• The gym is another excellent place to make new friends and expand your network. Start by attending the gym at the same time every day so that you become a familiar face to the AM crowd or the PM crowd. Another method is to sign up for a regular class and take it each week.

• Common interest groups. Meetup is an organization that posts groups that have a focused interest such as hiking, eating out or even job hunting combined with wine tasting. The Palo Alto Wine Group, for example, is one of the San Francisco Bay area's largest meetup groups started by a recruiter with a hobby of critiquing resumes while wine tasting.

About Dr. Tracey Wilen-Daugenti

Dr. Tracey Wilen-Daugenti is a prominent thought leader on the impact of technology on society, work and careers. She has been a visiting scholar at Stanford University's Media X program and is a former Silicon Valley executive who has held leadership positions at Apple, HP, Cisco Systems, and the Apollo Group. The author of 10 books, Dr. Wilen-Daugenti catalyzes new thinking among business leaders and employees. Dr. Wilen-Daugenti frequently contributes to The Huffington Post, the Examiner, Christian Science Monitor, and other national and international media outlets, including FOX News Live and CBS Radio. You can find more details about her and her work at TraceyWilen.com.

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Founder Institute Chicago Autumn 2013 - Final Application Due in 1 Week!

The Founder Institute is the world's largest startup accelerator that has helped launch over 1,000 companies across 55 cities and five continents. We are still accepting applications for the Chicago Autumn 2013 semester!

We have already successfully graduated three classes of founders in Chicago. We are excited to have a new class kick off this autumn. Mentors for our upcoming semester include founders of Priceline, Vibes, iExplore, crowdSPRING, Spartz Media, BenchPrep, RECSOLU, and Signal.

Who should apply?

Anybody who is passionate about building a technology company is welcome to apply: idea or no idea, full-time job or unemployed, young or old, male or female, experienced in business or straight out of school.

The final application deadline is 10/20/13. For more details and to apply, go to http://fi.co/apply/chicago.

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Host Events to Bring People to You

One of the best ways to build your network is to host your own events. Figure out a subject matter or type of event that will demonstrate your expertise. Events are an opportunity for you to shine.

In addition, by hosting an event, you can invite your network. It is important to continuously find ways to stay in touch and top of mind with your network.

At the same time, your event will draw new people who you will be able to meet and integrate into your network. Bringing people to you is a great way to grow your network.

If you have special guest speakers, then your relationships with these people will grow as well. They will be honored that you asked them.

Your promotions for the event will create more visiibility for you and others will want to get to know you.  Events hosts are generally highly regarded as good networkers and people to meet.

Take the time to figure out the type of event that you want to host. While it is a lot of work to plan and facilaite, it is well worth the effort.

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