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Get A Better Job: Networking

by Rod Ashley

Getting to know others in the same professional field or the field you want to move into can be really valuable. It helps you to make contacts, open doors, understand the jargon and feel the atmosphere.  So, get to know the professional or sectoral groups – the associations, societies, clubs and so on – in your own field.  Ask round, search the web, read the trade or professional press.  Some groups meet regularly in bricks and mortar institutions at a specific hotel or other venue.  But increasingly, there are virtual communities. Take a look at www.linkedin.com – a sort of Facebook for professionals – and the different groups created by members for sharing professional discussion.  You can even start to network by looking at my page: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/rodashley

Avoid the two extremes of networking.  Being timid and not saying anything will prevent you gaining most value from the situation. On the other hand, we’ve all seen and heard pompous individuals full of themselves, dominating gatherings without listening to others.  Neither extreme will endear you to most potential colleagues.  And if you’ve been out of circulation for a while, it is a great way of renewing contacts and acquaintances and of finding out what’s been going on – as well as you updating others with what’s been going on in your life.



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