Have you been nurturing your business network? Your business network should be the go-to group of professionals that you can turn to for:
- Advice
- Prospects
- Direction
- Education
- Advancement
In a recent CIO article titled “Great IT Leaders Must Be Great Connectors,” Charles Araujo highlights the traits of successful people in the technology world. Araujo mentions many times the importance of your network, your connections and your ability to be a connector. These often have a direct correlation to your future path and related opportunities.
When you think about it, this is not specific to women in technology or even professionals within the technology field. Fostering and utilizing your business network has value in all walks of life. In a Careerbuilder.com article, “Is getting a job really about who you know?”, Anthony Balderrama asked job seekers, employers and experts to weigh in with their experiences on how they found their job.
Among the many great insights, I especially like:
The last four jobs I’ve had I’ve gotten through some kind of networking—all four through different circumstances:
- A friend inside the company served as a referral.
- A friend inside the company put my resume at the top of a 300-plus resume pile by bypassing the recruiter and
emailing it to the hiring manager directly (which she was able to see since she was internal and had the visibility). - A mentor at the previous job put me in touch with some of her connections, one of whom worked for a company
that turned out to be looking for someone. - I cultivated a relationship with an industry peer/senior executive via email and Facebook over a year and a
half. When she took a job as a managing director at a new firm, we met in person for the first time for
lunch. Turned out, she was looking to build her practice group, and I was looking for new opportunities.
Based on career conversations and related research, I created a keynote for professional women based on the reoccurring
questions below that shaped the outline for my new book Accelerate Your Impact, in which we ask and answer some of the following questions:
- How do I increase my influence on my team?
- How do I get my ideas elevated to the right people?
- How do I prepare for the next professional progression within my company?
- Why do some people easily leap forward while others stay in the same position?
- How do I get the right people to know about my professional goals?
- Does LinkedIn matter to my career journey?
- How do I build an effective network that will pave the way for my future?
Here’s a video takes more about networking for business:
If you’re interested in building your business network for the purpose of advancing your career, I invite you to seek out a copy of my new book which is available in hardcover and eBook version.
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- The Formula for a Winning Value Statement
JJ DiGeronimo — the president of Tech Savvy Women — is a speaker, author, and thought leader for women in tech and girls and STEM. Through her work, JJ empowers professional women and consults with senior executives on strategies to retain and attract women in technology to increase thought and leadership diversity within organizations.
Don’t miss our online resources library for eCourses, online discussions, downloads, retreats and tools for professional women. Learn more here.