Jobs @ Career Consulting Limited

Return to career-consulting-limited.com
Managing
People
Managing Your Career
CV Examples
Coaching
Cover Letter Examples
Pre-Employment Tests


Building a Solid Network


A client who has a fine arts degree wanted to move out of his successful career in advertising and into the real estate development business. He had already enrolled in a top notch MBA program to learn more about the field. In addition he had found work with a bank doing real estate appraisals.

With another year to go in the MBA program he came to me to work on creating a plan for becoming a real estate developer.

It is not unusual for someone to study one thing in college, try it for a while and then decide that there is another field that is more appealing. This dramatic change however brought up all kinds of fears for my client.

His first concern was that potential employers would look at his resume and see nothing on it that would indicate he had the skills necessary for his new career. He wasn't sure that he really knew exactly what a career in real estate development entailed or even if it was the right choice for him. Finally he was worried because all his connections were in advertising.

Those questions could easily be answered by someone already in the field. Where could he find some names and an entre? One place that many of my clients overlook when they are looking to make new connections is their college alumnae office. Most alums truly want to be helpful to students and fellow alumnae. My client could easily make use of the alumni office at his current business school. The best way to make a new connection is to have a common interest (your college) or a mutual friend that connects you.

My client was still a bit reticent. "Do you think they will really talk to me?" he asked. I asked him to think back in his advertising career to a time when someone he didn't know well called him out of the blue to ask for something. How did he feel about it? Did he help?

Often the person being called is flattered by the attention and is eager to help. Ten years ago a young man who had been a student of mine 25 years prior to that called me to reconnect. He actually called to tell me what an impact my teaching had made on his life. I was flattered and delighted to hear from him.

The young man who called me wasn't looking for help at that moment. Keeping in touch with your network even when you don't have questions to ask makes it easier to reconnect when you need help or information. Those people who willingly help others will find many helping hands when they need help themselves. Be sure to be that helping person yourself! J

Professors and teachers from your school days can be powerful sources of information too if you stay in touch with them. If you are currently in school, nurture those relationships. If you are out of school it is never too late to rekindle them. (My former student waited 25 years!!)

Building a solid network of people is important and can be fun. Get started early on it and be systematic about keeping track of the people, information about them, and the frequency with which you contact them. Be prepared however to help those in your network too. To build a thriving network the communications and support has to go both ways!

Take Action:

1. Make a list of people you know and who you want to remain in touch with. Select someone you haven't spoken to in a while and make the connection.

2. Call your college or graduate school alumni office for names and telephone numbers of people in a field you are exploring. Call one of the names on the list.

3. Find a way to track your contacts. A spread sheet or contact management software are two ways to manage this information.

4.To keep track of your contacts personal information take a look at the 66 questions that Harvey MacKay suggests in Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.

About Alvah Parker

Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach as well as publisher of Parker's Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. To subscribe send an email to join-roadtosuccess@go.netatlantic.com.

Parker's Value Program© enables clients to find a way to work that is more fulfilling and profitable. She is both a Practice Advisor and Coach to attorneys, business managers, business owners, sole practioners, and people in transition. Alvah is found on the web at http://www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388.


MORE RESOURCES:



Careers | Career Opportunities  West Virginia University

Corporate  Lowe's





Jobs  City of Rochester (.gov)


Careers at TWU  Texas Woman's University







City of Tampa Careers  City of Tampa

Careers at VA  VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs

Job Seekers  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign



Careers  BASF

Careers  Fred Hutch News Service

Nursing jobs  VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs


Careers | Human Resources  The Seattle U Newsroom - News, stories and more




Careers  Washington State University

Employment Services  American Mathematical Society





Working for ICE  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Newsroom


UF Health Careers  UF Health - University of Florida Health


Careers at FSA  USDA Farm Service Agency



Careers at Prairie View A&M University  Prairie View A&M University

Job Search Results  UnitedHealth Group

UN COMMON CAREERS  VCU Health

Career Opportunities  Gilead Sciences


Careers  S&P Global

Careers  Medline





Job Opportunities  Bellevue School District

How to Apply  FEMA


Career Opportunities  Public Affairs Detail | Federal Housing Finance Agency

Careers  Micron

Careers at Discovery Education  Discovery Education





Careers  KPMG

Join our team  FHI 360



Careers  The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation

Careers at Air Liquide  Air Liquide

Internship Opportunities | Careers  Boston Consulting Group



Careers in  A&O Shearman

Work At Chess.com  Chess.com

Students and graduates  JPMorgan Chase

Highest-Paying Engineering Careers in 2024  University of North Dakota





Mental health at work  World Health Organization



Why Employees Quit  HBR.org Daily

JobFeed  NSW Department of Education



Two unis walking the career path alongside graduates  The Australian Financial Review



Current opportunities  Turner & Townsend




Careers  City of Norfolk (.gov)



Jobs  Energy.gov

Need More Information?
Site Home | Site Map | Links | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
© Career Consulting Limited.com 2011

tumblr visit counter