Thank you CivE!
Don't be afraid to use linkedin - just don't check the looking for a job option in case your boss sees it. You have great potential to find contacts to help in your current job, too. Linkedin will help you find college alums in your area and professional groups.
Spend some time here.
If you find the right professional group, jump in and volunteer for the executive board or a special project. There will be enough repeat contact that people will remember you.
I've looked into it. They have a some groups. Will read up on some and see which would be good to join. I'll eventually need to join one, once I get real serious about taking on a new job. It'll look good on the resume.
asktheheadhunter.com -- sign up for the newsletter, read the blog, get the books..........BEST RESOURCE EVER
Thank you! I'll check it out.
be a friend - networking is about friendship--two way street! "What attracted you to this line of work?" is a good one. "I'm thinking of taking some courses in this area and making a career change...would coming from x with experience in y give me any advantage?
at the conference ask questions, go to dinner, go to bars. (Ask people if they don't ask you....as another woman, I'll ask a bunch so no one assumes I'm looking for a "date". "Didn't I see you at the Widget talk earlier today?" is a fine conversation starter. ) In the bars, people feel "off duty" and you get the real story. "they won't let me hire programmers" "they're living in the past" "we're gaining on the competition" (You take it with a grain of salt because you don't know who has a chip on the shoulder or likes to embellish the truth -- but it tells you what to research. Good sales staff won't badmouth anyone else -- but customers (especially unhappy customers) will. Let the talk go to non-business topics too--family, hobbies, etc. -- be a friend.
Good points. The examples will come in handy for conversation starters.
You need to network in your current career also--you need a grapevine outside your current employer. You need people you trust that trust you to talk about "the stuff that doesn't get written down"
Agree. With all the vendors around at the plant, this was not so bad. But with layoffs, all of my grapevine friends outside of my employer are gone. We only have two outside vendors left. It will take a while to setup new friendships and a new grapevine. But, I'm working on it.
When you get home with all those business cards, choose a few to keep in touch with -- maybe do a little research for them on a topic you talked about. After 6 months or so, you probably won't be remembered unless you've started some new conversations since the conference or have potential to buy stuff.
Perfect. This is what I needed. I wasn't sure what else to mention in my first email. But extra research on a topic we talked about, will give me something to say as well as point out that I'm interested. This was very helpful. Thank you.
